The objective of this work was to assess the possible transport of cyanogenic glycosides from leaves of rubber tree crown clones (Hevea spp.) resistant to South American leaf blight to the trunk of the panel clones in which they are grafted. The cyanogenic potential (HCNp) of the crown clones was determined in the trunk bark, at different distances from the cambium, and its gradient was evaluated along the trunk. The correlation between the HCNp of the crown leaves and that of the trunk bark was also evaluated. HCNp determined in leaves showed a wide range variation in the species studied as crown clones, with the lowest values registered in H. nitida clones, and the highest ones in H. rigidifolia. In the trunk bark, the tissue layer nearer the cambium showed higher HCNp values. A positive basipetal gradient was observed along the trunk, i.e., there was an increase in HCNp from the apex toward the base. Although the grafted crowns influence the cyanogenic potential of the trunk bark of panel clones, the absence of correlation between the HCNp of the leaves and trunk bark indicates that the crown is not the main source of the cyanogenic glycosides found in the trunk.
Hevea; Microcyclus ulei; crown budding; HCNp; linamarin
