Chapter 427: Following the Trend (Part 2)

Once the second-generation hybrid Immortal Bean experiment succeeds, he plans to release a special root rot fungus to eradicate all first-generation Immortal Beans outside the lab.

Genetically modified Immortal Soybeans with altered protein types are also in development, and this line of Immortal Soybeans will also undergo a second round of cross-breeding.

These new varieties of the Hevea Plant have been preemptively divided into two populations to facilitate the upcoming cross-breeding.

Among these key new varieties of the Hevea Plant being cultivated, the characteristic Jiang Miao was most concerned with was the content of its auxiliary components.

The main component of rubber from the natural Hevea Plant is cis-polyisoprene, which is structurally identical to the main component of natural rubber from the Para rubber tree. However, the Hevea Plant contains fewer non-rubber components. This results in poor stretch-induced crystallization properties in both its raw and vulcanized forms, making its performance similar to synthetic rubber.

The composition and properties of Guayule rubber are similar to those of the Hevea Plant.

Eucommia rubber, on the other hand, differs from the Hevea Plant, Guayule, and the Para rubber tree. Its main component is trans-polyisoprene. While its overall processing characteristics are similar to those of the Para rubber tree, its yield is far too low. It is also a large tree, which is why it was the first variety Jiang Miao abandoned.

Rather than cultivating Eucommia, it would be better to cultivate the Para rubber tree.

Jiang Miao not only wanted to increase the Hevea Plant’s yield but also to make the non-rubber auxiliary components in its roots comparable to those in rubber from the Para rubber tree. Only then could the Hevea Plant truly replace the Para rubber tree.

The reason natural rubber from the Para rubber tree has never been replaced by synthetic rubber is precisely because of its non-rubber components, which give it superior properties.

In fact, current chemical technology already allows for the large-scale artificial synthesis of polyisoprene. The tricky part is the non-rubber proteins and fatty acids found in natural rubber.

Even when specific proteins and fatty acids are added to synthetically produced cis-polyisoprene, it is impossible to make these components distribute evenly throughout the molecular chains of the cis-polyisoprene.

Traditional homogenization processes struggle with reprocessing colloidal materials. Their high viscosity makes it incredibly difficult to achieve comprehensive and deep homogenization.

In natural rubber, the proteins and fatty acids are uniformly distributed at a nanometer scale, which is what guarantees its excellent properties.

Without changing this, synthetic rubber, Hevea Plant rubber, and Guayule rubber can never replace Para rubber.

If it cannot replace Para rubber, then even the highest yield from the Hevea Plant would be useless. After all, the properties of processed Hevea Plant rubber in the past were similar to those of synthetic rubber.

In that case, why would anyone buy Hevea Plant rubber?

Currently, synthetic rubber generally costs around 15,000 yuan per ton, while natural Para rubber is about 16,000 yuan per ton.

Under normal circumstances, the price of natural rubber is slightly higher than synthetic rubber, by about 1,000 yuan per ton.

The market position for Hevea Plant rubber and Guayule rubber is too awkward.

In terms of performance and yield, they cannot beat Para rubber.

In terms of cost-effectiveness, they lose to synthetic rubber.

Their only selling point is that they are environmentally friendly and renewable.

This is the primary roadblock hindering the development of the Hevea Plant rubber industry.

Currently, the global production capacity for natural rubber is actually quite sufficient. In recent years, global capacity has ranged between 11 to 15 million tons, while domestic capacity is between 800,000 to 900,000 tons per year.

However, the Para rubber tree has certain characteristics, such as a long life cycle and the fact that its yield is affected by age. Once the trees enter their peak latex production period, capacity increases significantly.

Domestic rubber cultivation is mainly concentrated in Qiongzhou and Yunnan Province, with some sporadic planting in Lingnan.

The country doesn’t have a large tropical area to begin with, yet a significant portion must be allocated to rubber cultivation. Coupled with the long growth cycle of rubber, the enthusiasm of domestic farmers for planting it has been steadily declining.

This is especially true with an aging population and young people concentrating in cities to live and work, leaving rural areas with a severe lack of young labor. Rubber tapping is extremely labor-intensive, requiring workers to go to the plantations every night, or in the early morning before dawn, to tap the trees.

An agricultural industry that cannot be fully mechanized is bound to decline in the future.

The Hevea Plant is different.

This plant is like a sugar beet. Especially after Jiang Miao’s improvements, the roots of the new varieties are about the same size as sugar beets. There is no need to develop a new harvester; a standard sugar beet harvester will do.

With the potential for large-scale mechanized production, the required labor and material resources can be greatly reduced.

Furthermore, the improved varieties of the Hevea Plant can be harvested once a year, with a minimum cultivation period of about nine months.

Since the Hevea Plant is naturally a perennial, its growth cycle can also be adjusted. By extending the cultivation time, it is possible to achieve a continuous harvest for more than half a year. This benefits production scheduling, ensures a high operating rate for refining factories, and allows the entire production system to be maintained with fewer harvesters and less manpower.

If Hevea Plant rubber can replace Para rubber, it will not only change the structure of the global natural rubber industry but also further optimize domestic tropical agriculture.

In recent years, the domestic cultivation area for Para rubber trees has been around 17 million mu.

The places where rubber trees can be grown are all tropical regions with abundant water and heat. Using these areas to cultivate rubber is too wasteful, and besides, growing rubber is not very profitable.

In Qiongzhou, the yield for rubber trees is about 60 kilograms per mu. In Yunnan Province, the yield is higher, at around 90 kilograms per mu. This is the average yield; for rubber trees in their high-yield period, the maximum annual yield per mu is about 200 kilograms.