Several fungi can attack and damage the tapping panels. The most important is mouldy rot, which first appeared in Malaya in 1916 and in Java in 1920. A potential threat to the world's rubber industry is the South American leaf blight. This attacks wild rubber trees which occur in the tropical forests of Central and South America. Various attempts, such as those by the Ford and Goodyear companies, have been made to establish rubber plantations in these areas. All have been abandoned because of the devastation caused by leaf blight. The disease is a serious potential threat to the Asian rubber plantations.