Source Year: 1997

Morphology, viability, storage and germination of seeds of Hevea brasiliensis are described. The seed is large, ovoid, dorsiventral with irregular dark brown and grey lines or blotches on the seed coat. These characters are specific for each clone and used for clone identification. Hevea seeds are recalcitrant due to their high moisture content, and lose viability even with short term storage under optimum conditions, hence it should be planted soon after collection. The seeds of good physiological quality can be stored upto four months without losing viability under specific conditions. Seed viability can be detected by germination test, Tetrazolium test, electrical conductivity or FFA test. Seeds collected from well maintained polyclonal garden can be utilized for genetic improvement of rubber.