Posted by EngineeringProfit > 2020-05-26 17:28 | Report Abuse

Today, almost all natural rubber comes from hevea rubber trees grown in Southeast Asia, and that hangs a nightmare scenario over US tire makers and the wider US economy. In the event of war or natural disaster, our supply could vanish, and rather quickly. But guayule can provide an alternative. Since the early 20th century, American researchers, entrepreneurs, and statesmen have eyed the plant as a way of freeing the U.S. economy from this deep dependence on Asia. Rubber trees don't do well in the US, but guayule does. Guayule—pronounced why-yoo-lee— is grown across more than 250 acres. Row after row stretch from the highway to the hills in the west. Molecular breeding can boost more than just staples. It can produce entirely new crops, crops that didn't make sense before. https://www.wired.com/2015/07/superplant-may-finally-topple-rubber-monopoly/