Tapping panel dryness[TPD] is the major syndrome which is responsible for the whole problems faced by the rubber

plantation industry in India at present telling heavily on the national production of natural rubber. For the last so many decades strenuous effort has been made at the expense of huge amounts to study the etiology of the syndrome but so far neither the real cause nor the technology to prevent the same has been worked out by the Rubber Research Institute of India. But the syndrome so far considered an enigma is very well solved by the scientist. Tapping panel dryness syndrome is no more an enigma but it is proved to be only manmade, induced by the totally unhealthy, unscientific rubber harvesting technology practiced at present all over the rubber growing countries by name Downward Vertical Tapping or DVT developed by Henry Nicholas Ridley in 1890.Being a technology which does not take the Anatomy and Physiology of the tree into consideration at all, it is definite that such a technology can be most hazardous to the tree, human beings the environment and also the whole world indeed !

On trees being tapped under the conventional system, few trees produce dilute latex with low drc at first, later they show late dripping later on the cut dries up , bark turning brown. Later the whole cut dries up and later on the tree is rendered useless the bark developing burs and swellings as well. Upto 40 or even100 per cent of the trees may be affected by TPD rendering the plantation totally useless.

The green canopy of the tree synthesizes assimilates by photosynthesis utilizing carbon dioxide and water utilizing chlorophyll in the presence of sunlight. A portion of the assimilates is converted to latex to be used as a defence against the attack of insect pests. Downward translocation of the assimilates is through the phloem tissue in the bark and latex through the latex vessels in the phloem tissue.

The bark of the tree contains the phloem and the latex vessels are oriented inside it. So once the bark at 1.25 m ht .is horizontally cut along half the circumference at 30 angle in effect the whole latex vessels passing through that area, ie half of the whole number of vessels are totally cut off and no latex will be passing down through that area. Whatever latex is extracted later on is only from the bark below, ie, 1.25m long area. In that area itself the latex has to pass down to the lower bark and the root system below as it is its normal function. Along with that on each day of tapping latex has to exude up also in order to cover and heal the wound.

Thus the latex vessels there have to carry out double function of carrying latex downwards and upwards. By the first cut itself connection with the top canopy, ie, the real source of latex is totally cut off and whatever latex is available below is subjected to double exploitation thereby resulting in very heavy stress and strain to latex production. This is clearly expressed as different stages of TPD leading to total cessation of latex flow Tapping Panel Dryness!!

Yes, TPD can very well be prevented by adopting IUT Technology. The latex vessels are oriented at 7 angle to the normal in the anticlockwise direction.

So the panel has to be opened at 7 inclined to the vertical. The panel for tapping has to be marked at 10 cm height from the collar and the first cut at 37 inclination to the vertical has to be made at the lowest position and it has to proceed upwards.

The tapping has thus to be Inclined Upward Tapping only. Hence at the cut, the latex has to flow downwards and the vessels have to do this for both functions of natural downward flow of latex and also for covering the wound induced for healing. The natural flow direction can conveniently be maintained for both purposes and hence there is no stress and strain at all. More over in this each and every day the cut maintains connections to the topmost portion, the source of latex namely the canopy and hence there is no reason for any stress and strain at all. The tree grows up, in IUT the tapping proceeds upwards towards the sources. The tree grows up, but in DVT the tapping proceeds downwards, away from the source of latex

While in the conventional system we are proceeding downwards away from the source which is continuously growing up here we are always proceeding towards the source! Hence here there is not at all any need for stress and strain. Hence there is no reason for any Tapping Panel Dryness, each and every day the latex produced in the new system has got very significantly higher d.r.c in comparison to the other. That is the very reason why through IUT, TPD is fully prevented, high yield is obtained all throughout, the total life expectancy of the tree is more than increased to over four times, efficacy of rubber trees in preventing Global Warming is enhanced by elimination of replanting and so on.

Hence it is proved TPD is manmade, it is induced by the unscientific tapping technology developed by H N Ridley. TPD can very well be prevented by implementing the Innovative Rubber Tapping Technology IUT developed by L Thankamma Rubber trees are to be tapped by IUT and IUT alone.