# The Soils of Natural (In Situ) Coenopopulations of _Taraxacum kok-saghyz_ [PERSON] in Kazakhstan
## 1 Introduction  
Applicability. Natural rubber (NR, cis-1,4-polyisoprene) is an essential high molecular weight biopolymer that is a critical, non-flammable raw material vital to industries such as transportation, medicine, and defense. Its unique physical properties include high elasticity, resilience, resistance to impact and abrasion, efficient heat dissipation, and plasticity at low temperatures, making NR an important raw material for many different rubber and latex products. NR is used to produce more than 50,000 rubber products, including aircraft and automobile tires, surgical gloves, contraceptives, footwear, apparel, and other products [1]. The global market of natural rubber (NR) was approximately US $24 billion in 2016, with an NR consumption of 12.9 million tons, which is projected to increase up to 16.5 million tons by 2023 (International Rubber Study Group--IRSG). Total demand for natural rubber is on the rise and could reach US $68.5 billion by 2026 [2]. Currently, the Para rubber tree (_Hevea brasiliensis_ (Wild. ex A. Juss.)) grown in tropical plantations is the only source of commercially produced NR. That is due to the fact that NR from plants is outperforming petroleum rubber in several parameters, e.g., the NR polymer has a much higher molecular weight than synthetic rubber, and the sustainable and renewable production of plant rubber is considered to be more efficient and environmentally friendly than the refining of non-renewable oil [3, 4]. Nevertheless, alternative sources and systems for rubber production are needed to increase the biological and geographical diversity of NR production, especially because of the need for _H. brasiliensis_ for special growth conditions and its vulnerability to variousinfectious diseases. One threat to _Havea brasiliensis_ rubber production is South American Leaf Phytophthorahorosis (SALB) caused by the fungus _Pseudocreospora ulei_, which has affected traditional rubber production in South America since 1934. This disease can spread to _H. brasiliensis_ trees in Southeast Asia, which are genetically very similar to each other and to trees in South America [5]. The study of alternative plant species--sources of NR, such as dandelion kok-saghyz (_Taraxacum kok-saghyz_ [PERSON]. [PERSON]), (TKS), and guayule (_Parthenium argentatum_), and or in vitro NR production systems--is ongoing [6]. The perennial herbaceous plant TKS is generally recognized as an alternative, complementary of _H. brasiliensis_, a source of high-quality NR, and a promising crop for ex situ cultivation in temperate climate zones, where the traditional NR source tropical tree _H. brasiliensis_ does not take root. TKS has attracted attention due to its NR content as a strategic biomaterial and a promising, sustainable, and renewable alternative to synthetic rubber from fossil fuel carbon sources. NR of TKS is as good as NR of _H. brasiliensis_. Moreover, NR TKS is a source of polysaccharide inulin, with 25 to 40% of dry weight mass. The expensive polysaccharide inulin is used in the pharmaceutical and food industries [7; 8]. TKS has been actively studied in countries with moderate climates, such as the Czech Republic, the UK, Germany, Italy, China, South Korea, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation, and the USA [6; 9; 10; 11; 12; 13; 14; 15]. The German automobile tire brand 'Continental AG' announced that it plans to start production of \"the first bicycle tire made from sustainable rubber of TKS\", which it intended to be grown on the premises of its own factories, avoiding some of the traditional problems with _H. brasiliensis_ latex that come as a result of the extended time between planting and growing (just six months for the dandelion, compared with seven years for the rubber tree) and fluctuating prices for the rubber due to long transportation distances between places where rubber can be grown and the company's production facilities in Europe [16]. TKS is widespread in the intermountain valleys of the Tien Shan and is included in the Red Book of Kazakhstan.