THE EFFECT OF VARIOUS DOSAGES AND APPLICATION TECHNIQUES OF ETEPHON ON THE RESULTS OF RUBBER PLANT LATEX (Hevea brasiliensis)

Abstract

This study aimed to study the effect of giving various doses of ethephon, the effect of giving various ethephon application techniques, and the interaction between the administration of various doses and ethephon application techniques on the yield of latex rubber plants. The study was arranged in a Completely Randomized Block Design (RAKL), with 2 factors and 3 replications. The first factor was the dose of ethephon (E) which consisted of three levels, namely 0.3 ml/tree (e1), 0.6 ml/tree (e2), and 0.9 ml/tree (e3). The second factor is the ethephon application technique (T), which consists of three levels, namely Bark application (t1), Groove application (t2), and Lace application (t3). The results showed that the administration of ethephon at a dose of 0.6 ml/tree and 0.9 ml/tree gave results that were not different, but better than the administration of a dose of 0.3 ml/tree. The use of groove and lace application techniques gives results that are no different, but better than bark application techniques. There was no interaction between dosing and ethephon application technique on latex production of rubber plants.