Within the next decade, guayule, a shrub that originated in Mexico, could replace Hevea with a view to satisfying the growing global demand for natural rubber. This could enable natural rubber production in the Mediterranean. In the meantime, research has to come up with a cost-effective extraction process. CIRAD researchers involved in the EU-Pearls project recently took a new step towards industrialization, by developing a rapid, precise guayule biomass analysis technique, based on near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). By supplying the chemical composition of a biomass sample, this technique, which has now been calibrated for guayule, helps in the selection of plants suited to both the climate and the range of soils in the Mediterranean. It also serves to determine the best time to harvest and to measure yields per hectare. The next step is to use mobile apparatus to record data directly in the field and supply crucial information such as production potential in real time, for both farmers and rubber factories.
via CIRAD - Actualités / News http://ift.tt/1dQzrHw
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