Member Initiatives
Bridgestone Corporation
Disease diagnostic technology for rubber trees
Throughout its business areas the Bridgestone Group is conducting activities to be “in balance with nature.”
Increasing production on limited land to minimize deforestation caused by plantation expansions is becoming an issue amid projections for expanding tire demand and growing natural rubber consumption. In particular, diseases are one of the major factors causing declines in productivity.
Bridgestone developed a simple breakthrough diagnostic test that easily, quickly and accurately diagnoses the white root disease affecting Hevea brasiliensis, a major source of natural rubber. The test uses LAMP*, a biotechnology-based diagnostic technology.
This cutting-edge technology provides a simple visual confirmation of the presence of pathogens in the field without the need for special devices, using a reagent kit based on analyzed DNA sequences of pathogens. The kit enables early detection of white root disease, which infects through pathogens in the soil, to help prevent the spread of infection from tree to tree.
The kit does not require expertise nor experience, thus helping to make maintenance and damage control easier. Going forward, the Group will continue collaborating with universities in Indonesia and Japan to further develop and apply these technologies to help protect rubber trees and keep the supply of natural rubber stable.
*The LAMP method is a gene amplification method developed by Eiken Chemical Co., Ltd. It is used to amplify and detect specific DNA sequences for pathogens in the soil.
