Evaluation of Influence of Five Weather Characters on Latex Yield in Hevea brasiliensis

摘要

Ten clones of Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Arg. were evaluated at experimental site of Rubber Research Institute of Nigeria at Calabar, Nigeria for latex yield and influence of five weather factors in three years (1991-1993). The experimental design of the clonal field was randomized complete block with four replications. The clonal field was exploited for latex at 1/2 S, d/2 tapping frequency while data on five weather factors in the trial site were obtained from the Federal Department of Meteorological Services, Lagos, Nigeria. The weather factors were minimum and maximum temperature, relative humidity (rh) at 0900 h GMT and 1500 h GMT and rainfall. Analysis of variance of clonal latex yield and each weather factor was conducted. Inter-character correlation and path coefficients were calculated between pairs of characters within the six characters consisting of latex yield and five weather factors. There was significant variation for clonal latex yield and the weather factors. There was correspondence between direct effect and correlation coefficient with latex yield for maximum temperature at -1.90 and -0.39, respectively. Similar trend was obtained for rh (0900 h GMT) at direct effect and correlation coefficient of 0.800 and 0.422, respectively.