Scientists from the University of Shihezi’s College of Life Science believe that prickly lettuce, also known as Lactuca serriola, may offer a new source of natural rubber.
Natural rubber has been a vital industrial material for over 150 years, primarily derived from rubber plants native to the Congo and the Amazon. However, growing demand in sectors such as automotive and healthcare has intensified the search for alternative sources.
This demand has been further complicated by the US-China trade tensions, which have placed additional pressure on producers in countries like Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
Rubber tree cultivation is limited to tropical regions, especially south of the Tropic of Cancer, making it difficult to grow rubber in colder areas. While other plants have been explored for latex production, scaling up these alternatives has proven challenging.
One of the most notable alternatives is guayule (Parthenium argentatum), a plant native to the arid Chihuahua Desert in Mexico and the US. However, its growing region is confined to latitudes between 25°N and 35°N, only slightly exceeding the rubber tree’s northernmost range.
In a new study published in the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, researchers from Shihezi University argue that prickly lettuce could be a viable alternative for rubber production. This hardy plant thrives in areas as far north as 60°N, even reaching up to 65°N in some cases, making it more suitable for colder climates than rubber trees.
What makes prickly lettuce particularly promising is its ability to produce high-quality natural rubber on a large scale. By treating the plant with certain chemicals—ethylene, methyl jasmonate, and salicylic acid—the researchers observed a significant increase in rubber content. Their findings suggest that Lactuca serriola has significant potential as an alternative to traditional rubber trees for natural rubber production.
