Improving planting pattern for intercropping in the whole production span of rubber tree

A spatial arrangement for planting rubber was proposed in order to facilitate intercropping during the whole production span of rubber tree. A field experiment was established in the Experiment Farm, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Danzhou, Hainan, China, with two planting patterns of rubber clone Reyan 7-20-59: (1) single row avenue planting pattern (SR) by 3 m × 7 m, and (2) double row avenue planting pattern (DR) by (2 m × 4 m) × 20 m. The experiment showed that the girth of rubber trees in the DR system at the first tapping year was slightly bigger than that in the SR system. Although rubber trees under tapping in per unit area in the DR system were relatively lesser, however, the yield per hectare with 98% of SR was not significantly affected due to its higher yield per tree. In addition, the DR system provided larger unshaded area of land and higher light penetration. Considering the overall performance of the two planting systems, the DR system proved to be a suitable planting system for long-term intercropping in rubber plantations.Keywords: Hevea, whole production span, intercropping syste