Biology of Hevea Rubber

Dr. P. M. Priyadarshan is a distinguished plant breeder whose 32-year research career began with the Spices Board of India and culminated as the Deputy Director of the Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII), where he managed the Central Experiment Station until 2016. He is internationally recognized for his pioneering work in breeding Hevea rubber for non-traditional, sub-optimal environments, specifically addressing the severe low-temperature stress prevalent in regions like North-East India. By developing specialized breeding and screening techniques that utilize latex biochemical parameters—such as ATP, sucrose, and thiol content—as indicators for selection, he established a firm foundation for deriving cold-tolerant clones for northeast India. His research, which encompasses over several publications in prestigious journals such as Advances in Agronomy, Advances in Genetics and Plant Breeding Reviews, further explains how tolerant genotypes perform under chilling conditions. As a prolific academic author and editor for Springer and Wiley-Blackwell, Dr. Priyadarshan has bridged the gap between traditional breeding and modern genomics through seminal works such as Biology of Hevea Rubber, which integrates crop physiology with "omics" advancements, and the 25-chapter textbook on Plant Breeding: Classical to Modern. His global influence is further reflected in his two-volume series, Breeding Plantation Tree Crops, which provides standardized breeding techniques for major industrial crops like coffee and cocoa. Looking toward the future of global food security, his most recent 2025 titles, including Plant Breeding 2050: Next-Gen Crops and Digital Agriculture, explore the integration of speed breeding, artificial intelligence, and molecular tools to meet the agricultural demands of a growing global population.Han Cheng started his scientific career at the Rubber Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CATAS) in 2003, and earned his Ph.D. degree from The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2012. He currently serves as Deputy Director of the Rubber Research Institute, CATAS, and has long been engaged in research on rubber tree molecular biology and genetic improvement.Dedicated to molecular identification and molecular breeding of rubber tree, he integrates molecular biology, genetics and high-throughput omics to reveal key regulatory mechanisms of rubber tree growth, development and yield formation. He has cloned and functionally characterized a series of genes for economically important traits, developed practical molecular markers, and established modern breeding systems including marker-assisted selection and genomic selection. He led the assembly of high-quality rubber tree reference genomes and developed the first rubber tree genomic breeding chip. He has presided over key national research projects, published a series of high-impact papers. He once served as Liaison Officer of the IRRDB Specialist Group on Molecular Biology and Physiology, and is currently Vice-Chairman of the International Rubber Research and Development Board (IRRDB).

• Introduction.- Genesis and Development.- Plant Structure and Ecophysiology.- Propagation Systems.- Latex production, diagnosis and harvest.- Genetic Resources.- Breeding new clones.- Environmental Constraints and Adaptation to Global Changes.- Biology Constraints and their Mitigation.- Genotype-by-Environment Interactions.- Remote Sensing, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics.- In vitro culture and transgenics.- Molecular Breeding.- Omics and Allied Aspects.- Ancillary Income Generations.