Cloves #11

Hello everyone!

Today will be my last post! This one is about organic agriculture. Firstly I will be talking about what problems could arise when moving from conventional to organic practices for cloves. And secondly the level of organic clove production in Indonesia.

Shift to organic
Thinking back of my post on pests and diseases I would say this would be the largest problem on shifting to organic. Diseases like Valsa eugenlae and Cryptosporella eugeniae are the most major diseases and damaging for clove trees. Both these diseases are controlled by means of pesticides and shifting to organic would mean that new ways to controll the disease have to be found. Also a decrease in yield will be seen, as no more chemical fertilizer can be added to the trees.

Current state of organic clove production

Indonesia has many smallholder farmers which do not always have acces to pesticides and chemical fertilizer. This means that these farmers sometimes unintentionally produce in an organic way which to us western consumers sounds great. However to them it just means a lower yield and more pests & diseases within the plantation. Looking at Indonesia particularly I would say that producing organic wouldn't be profitable. This is due to nearly all of the clove production (90%) being used in the tabacco industry by making the so called: Kreteks.

Cloves #10

Hello everyone!

Today we will be talking about the interesting subject of Cropping Systems, Tillage and Crop Establishment. Firstly I will be talking about whether I would prefer to produce cloves by using monocropping or polyculture. And secondly I will explain what tillage method and equipment would be suitable for clove production.

Monocropping or polyculture?

Before the first harvest can be made the tree has to be 7-8 years old. This is a long time to wait for a farmer, as there is no form of income in this time. So you think a polyculture would bring a possible solution to this problem, as this would provide the farmer with a temporary form of income right? The answer to this is somewhere inbetween. It is perfectly fine to intercrop new plantations with maize and other cereal crops in the first year, the second year is also an option, however this is decided upon looking at the growing procces of the clove tree. (E.A Weis, 2002)

The thing is, that intercropping can damage the superficial root plate of the clove tree, and this can potentionally affect growth and yield in the future. It is recommended to only intercrop low growing annual food and fodder crops in the 3rd and 4th year, but also the 2nd year if the clove tree is getting to big. After the 4th year intercropping should be ceased as explained earlier it could harm the root system. In conclusion I would recommend a polyculture in the first 4 years and from that on a monocropping system. (E.A Weis, 2002)



What tillage method and equipment would be suitable for clove production?

Learning that the root system of the clove tree is very vulnerable I would recommend a no tillage approach. This will not disturb the soil which at first will give a slight decrease in production but will compensate with an increased water holding capacity and infiltration. Next to this, the soil will be more "alive" and flourishing in the future. Before planting I would recommend ploughing by ox pulled or tractor pulled plow. (E.A Weis, 2002)
Bibliography:

https://books.google.nl/books?id=RqqTdAwXev4C&pg=PA107&lpg=PA107&dq=cloves+fibrous+or+taproot?&source=bl&ots=E9MnWgol8n&sig=8J7YSLhvm-tTrGD6ObpcwAyQfcA&hl=nl&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj2iY_MsKfWAhUMYVAKHbPNCIUQ6AEISjAI#v=snippet&q=intercropping&f=false

Cloves #9

Hey everyone!

Today we will be talking about harvesting and the storaging of cloves! Firstly we will talk about when cloves are ready to harvest, and what could go wrong when harvesting to early or too late. And secondly we will talk about the optimal storage conditions of cloves.

Harvesting of cloves
The first harvest of cloves occurs after the tree is 7-8 years old after planting. The flowering season of the tree is from September to October in lower regions, and from December to February in higher altitude regions. Clove harvesting is mostly done manualy, and is expected to remain this way due to rural employment and due to the high cost of mechanisation in comparison to the low cost of manual labour. (IndiaAgro,2017) (E.A Weis, 2002)

With manual harvesting workers climb into the trees to pick the cloves with occasional damage being done to the trees. A pre to mechanised clove harvesting is that tractor pulled platforms give workers safe acces to the cloves, and less damage is done to the trees which benifits future harvests. Chemical harvesting has also been tested in Brazil, with chemicals being sprayed on the trees which makes the cloves fall off and can be profitable in large scale farming. (IndiaAgro,2017) (E.A Weis, 2002)

It taked about 4 to 6 months for the buds to become ready to harvest. At this time they should preferably inbetween 1.5 to 2cm long and changing in colour from green to slightly pink/red. It is important to pick the cloves at the right time, as otherwise the quality of the cloves is decreased drastically. (IndiaAgro,2017) (E.A Weis, 2002)



Storage conditions
After harvesting the cloves are separated from the clusters by hand. After that, the cloves need to be dried. This drying procces is usually completed in 4 to 6 days with sunny weather. Within smallholder farming the cloves are usually dried on the road and carefully raked now and then to prevent molds from growing and providing an equal drying. A potential risk with this outdoor drying include spoilage from sudded rainfall. Placing matts under the cloves are essential to a good product. This both protects the product, but also makes it easier to roll up the mats to protect the cloves in case of sudden rainfall. (IndiaAgro,2017) (E.A Weis, 2002)

The final stage of drying is reached when the stem of the bud is dark brown and the rest of the bud is lighter brown. The cloves must snap easily and prickly when touched. (IndiaAgro,2017) (E.A Weis, 2002)



Bibliography:

https://www.indiaagronet.com/horticulture/CONTENTS/clove.htm

https://books.google.nl/books?id=RqqTdAwXev4C&pg=PA107&lpg=PA107&dq=cloves+fibrous+or+taproot?&source=bl&ots=E9MnWgol8n&sig=8J7YSLhvm-tTrGD6ObpcwAyQfcA&hl=nl&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj2iY_MsKfWAhUMYVAKHbPNCIUQ6AEISjAI#v=onepage&q=Harvesting&f=false