Highlights of the research findings in this issue are:

• Critical analysis on the income an average small grower can possibly expect to get given the current low productivity and price of NR and the small size of the holdings
• Better biodiversity in rubber plantations through cultivated crops or natural flora improves the resilience of rubber farming by improving soil health, mitigating drought and generating additional revenue
• Satellite-derived acreage of NR plantations in India, scientific applications of geo-referenced NR distribution maps and necessity of updating the mapping of NR plantations in the country are discussed in the paper
• Rate of water mining by mature rubber trees was measured in three different agro-climatic regions of India round the year. Water use efficiency (WUE) of rubber trees is determined more by rubber yield or biomass production rather than by the amount of water consumed
• There is substantial variability in available zinc and boron status in the rubber growing soils of traditional and Konkan regions
• Fertilizer response in natural rubber plants is more dependent on the initial fertility status of the soil than the nutrient management systems followed
• Seven clones with significantly higher yield in response to yield stimulation from the newly developed 31 high yielding pipeline clones were identified
• Optimization of yield through application of stimulation and selection of suitable tapping system for newer Hevea clones in the North Eastern region of India
• Two new ortet selections with good growth and test tap yield were identified from the state of Meghalaya
• Polyclonal seedlings of North East origin showed comparable performance with that of seeds sourced from Kanyakumari district
• High K content in leaves appears to be a proxy indicator of drought tolerance
• Through pretreatment with a unique agent, quality sheet rubber was prepared from preserved field latex