Germplasm of Hevea brasiliensis in Nigeria

New countries adopting the cultivation of the rubber tree have the challenge of sourcing for germplasm of Hevea brasiliensis. In addition, breeding for adverse weather occasioned by climate change will require robust germplasm for genetic improvement. The objective of this study therefore was to provide inventory of available germplasm of Hevea brasiliensis in Nigeria. Census of germplasm of H. brasiliensis in Rubber Research Institute of Nigeria was conducted, and data was subjected to t-test. There was percentage representation of the various types of germplasm. There were seventy six genotypes represented by the highest number of 50 from Malaysia, 10 from Indonesia, 6 from Nigeria, 4 from Sri Lanka, 3 from Brazil, 2 from Liberia and one of Vietnam origin. The germplasm consisted of 4% of genotypes of unknown pedigree, 20% of primary clones and 76% of improved clones. This number, origin and type of germplasm suggest potential for utilization of Hevea germplasm in Nigeria for genetic improvement. Possible exchange under suitable bilateral or multilateral arrangement is hereby recommended.