Bridgestone, Kirin partner to advance guayule cultivation

TOKYO—New technology from Bridgestone Corp. is aiming to boost production from the guayule shrub in the quest to create a commercially viable source for alternative natural rubber.

The tire maker used its guayule cultivation expertise and Kirin Holdings Co. Ltd. contributed technology to create a new approach to improve guayule-derived rubber output.

The plan is to use the innovation to boost productivity of guayule farms, a move that backers see as a potential way to lessen dependency on hevea rubber tapped from trees.

Natural rubber production is concentrated in Asia and Africa, but the guayule shrub is native to Southwest America and Mexico. This makes the shrub a candidate to domesticate supply in North America. There is precedence for U.S. natural rubber production as America cultivated the crop during World War II when Japan had a stronghold on Asian sources rubber.

The new technology developed by Bridgestone will be field tested on guayule seedlings grown at Bridgestone's 287-acre Agro Operations Research Farm in Eloy, Ariz.

The technology also could be used in the guayule breeding process to "rapidly increase a desired genotype for testing and production," the company said.

Bridgestone has been working on guayule research and development since 2013. Along with the farm, the company also operates the Biorubber Process Research Center in Mesa, Ariz. That's where guayule-derived natural rubber is processed and tested in tire applications.

"Utilizing the Kirin Holdings' world-class biotechnology, we will develop the technology for propagating massive stable quality guayule for practical use," Bridgestone said.