A TYRE made entirely from natural rubber derived from a desert shrub has been developed by Bridgestone.

The breakthrough using the guayule plant could help to save the rainforests of south east Asia.

Bridgestone says it has set a target of producing all of its tyres entirely from sustainable materials by 2050.

Guayule is a shrub native to the dry regions of the south western United States and northern Mexico and natural rubber is contained in the plant's barks and roots.

The new tyres were made at the Bridgestone Technical Centre in Japan and used guayule rubber cultivated at the company's Biorubber Process Research Centre in Mesa, Arizona in the United States.

All of the tyre's major natural rubber components -including the tread, sidewall and bead filler -were replaced with natural rubber extracted from guayule.

At the moment, approximately 90 per cent of all natural rubber is harvested from the Hevea brasiliensis rubber tree which is primarily grown in the tropical areas of south east Asia.

As guayule grows in arid regions its use as a source of rubber is expected to relieve the pressure on the existing rubber tree forests and lead to a diversification of natural rubber resources.

Research into the use of guayule as an alternative source of rubber is continuing and Bridgestone aims to start commercial production of the new tyres in the next decade.