Cloves #5

Hello everyone!

Today we will be talking about environmental conditions and agro-ecosystems. Firstly I will explain the climatic conditions in Indonesia, secondly rainfall distribution and how this affects clove production. Our second topic today is irrigation systems on clove plantations.

Climatic conditions in Indonesia

The climate in Indonesia is almost entirely tropical. The uniformly warm waters that surround the country make it that temperatures remain fairly constant ranging from 23 °C in higher mountain areas to 28 °C on the coastal plains.
The humidity in the country ranges between 70 to 90 % and wind is fairly moderate. The chances of storms and typhoons are however present in some areas. The different climates in Indonesia are: Tropical rainforests, tropical monsoons and tropical savanna. The areas were most cloves are grown (Spice islands, Moluccas) are part of the tropical rainforest climate. (wiki/Climate_of_Indonesia,2017)



Clove trees require a tropical climate and a warm humid climate having a temperature of around 20 to 30⁰C. Humid atmospheric conditions and annual rainfall of 150 to 250 cm are essential. It thrives well in all situations ranging from sea level up to an altitude of 1500 metres and also in places proximal to and away from sea. (IndiaAgro,2017)

Indonesia with its tropical climate, high humidity and high monthly rainfall matches all climatic criteria for good clove growing conditions.

Irrigation of clove plantations

Irrigation is only needed in the first 3 years of growing in areas were pronounced drought is experienced, simple pot watering is used normally in those situations. Furthermore there are irrigation techniques such as: placing a bamboo tube 20cm underground directly towards the roots and irrigate the tree like that for most efficient water use. Indonesia with its high monthly rainfall won’t need to irrigate much extra, except in long dry periods. Although the trees can survive without irrigation in these dry periods, it is advantageous to irrigate the trees for proper growth and yield. (IndiaAgro,2017)

Bibliography:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Indonesia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_rainforest_climate
https://www.indiaagronet.com/horticulture/CONTENTS/clove.htm