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
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten