Highlights of the research findings in this issue are:

• Long-term measurement of canopy level net ecosystem flux rates of CO2 and water vapour in a natural rubber plantation indicated that the values were in agreement with carbon sequestration rates obtained through biomass inventory method
• In a regularly tapped natural rubber plantation, yield during the fourth year of tapping was closely associated with long term yield facilitating early selection of high yielding clones
• Rubber plantations under different soil management units of central Kerala sequestered more carbon than the northern and southern regions
• Cloning, characterization and sequence analysis of HbSERK gene in Hevea brasiliensis revealed similarity with SERK gene from Arabidopsis thaliana and Medicago truncatula
• Seven Hevea clones showing tolerance to Corynespora leaf fall disease could be identified from the disease screening study in Sri Lanka
• Phloic ray characteristics in the inner hard bark region of secondary phloem in Hevea brasiliensis showed significant clonal variability
• The effect of adhesive properties of blends of natural rubber with various proportions of methyl methacrylate-grafted natural rubber latex (MGL) studied