Clove (Package
of Practices) |
| Introduction | ||
Clove was first introduced to India around 1800 AD by the East India company in its 'spice garden' in Courtallam, Tamil Nadu. Induced by the success of its introduction, cultivation of clove was extended during the period after 1850 AD to Nilgiris (Burliar), southern region of the erstwhile Travancore State and the slopes of Western Ghats. The important clove growing districts in India now are Nilgiris, Tiruneiveli, Kanyakumari, Nagercoil and Ramanathapuram districts of Tamil Nadu, Kozhikode, Kottayam. Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram Districts of Kerala and South Kanara district of Karnataka. As per the estimates for 1988-89, the total area of 1855 hectares under clove cultivation in India spreads over 951 hectares in Kerala, 660 hectares in Tamil Nadu, 181 hectares in Karnataka and 63 hectares in Andaman and Nicobar islands. |
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Climate and Soil |
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| Clove is a tropical plant and requires warm humid climate. Although there is a general belief that clove requires proximity to sea for the proper growth and yield, experience in India has shown that the trees do well in the hinterland conditions too. Clove thrives in all situations ranging from seal level upto an altitude of 1000 meters. Deep loam soil with high humus content found in the forest region is best suited for its cultivation. It grows satisfactorily on laterite soil, loam and rich black soil having good drainage. | ||
Varieties and Planting Material |
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| Clove plantations in India are reported to have originated
from a few seedlings obtained originally from Mauritius. The germplasm
collections made from within the country have not therefore given
appreciable variability in yield and growth factors. Clove is propagated through seed obtained from ripened fruit, known, popularly as 'mother of clove'. Fruits are taken, in from trees with more then 15 years of age and regular yielding nature. They are allowed to ripe on the trees and to drop down naturally. Such fruits are picked up from the ground and sown directly in the nursery. Otherwise fruits are soaked in water overnight and the seeds obtained after removal of the pericarp are sown. The pericarp is removed by rubbing the fruits with sand or ash. Seeds are good for better and early germination. About 250-300 fruits weigh one kilogram while 450-500 seeds are required to get the same weight. As seeds lose viability within one week after harvest under normal conditions early sowing is practiced. Only fully developed and uniform sized seeds which show signs of germination by the presence of pink radicle are ideal for sowing. Heaping the fruits for one or two days or keeping them in airtight bags leads to the death of seeds. |
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Nursery Practices |
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| Raised nursery beds are prepared on fertile soil with high Percentage of organic matter. The beds norm ally measure one metre width and two to three metre length. Seeds should be placed flat at a depth of about 2.5 cm with a spacing of 12 to 15 cm. Care should be taken to prevent leaching of the beds in rain. Germination commences in about 10 to 15 days and completes by about 45 days. The slender and delicate seedlings grow very slowly. Judicious watering is necessary throughout the nursery period to maintain optimum moisture in the soil. Seedlings can be retained in the nursery till they attain a height of 25-30 cm in six months and then grown in pots for another 12-18 months. For potting, seedlings are transferred to bamboo baskets or mud pots or Polythene bags filled with potting Mixture. Seedlings are nurtured under shade. As the root system of clove plant is delicate, potting should be done with utmost care, preferably on a rainy day. Clove can also be propagated vegetatively by grafting on its own root stock. But this type of Propagation is not popular at all. | ||
Site Selection and Planting |
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| The site for cultivation of clove should have good
drainage since the crop cannot withstand water logging. It can be
grown in coconut gardens of midland. At higher elevations it can
be mix cropped with pepper or coffee. Clove requires a location
protected from wind. If the site is open, wind breaks must be provided.
Eastern and North Eastern hill slopes, well-drained valleys and
riverbanks are ideal for clove cultivation. The crop thrives well
under open condition at high altitude where there is fair distribution
of rainfall. The area selected for raising clove plantation is cleared off wild growth before monsoon. Pits of size 75 cm cube are dug at a spacing of seven metres accommodating about 200 trees per ha. If grown as an inter-crop, spacing is to be adjusted based on the main crop. Pits are filled with a mixture of compost or cattle manure and loose friable top soil. Seedlings are planted in the centre of the pits in May-June with the onset of monsoon and watered regularly. Banana may be planted to provide cool and humid atmosphere to the tender plants. Watering may be done during summer months. |
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Manuring |
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| Clove trees are to be manured regularly for proper
growth and flowering. About 15 kg of rotten cattle manure or compost
is applied per plant in the initial years. The quantity is increased
gradually so that a well grown tree of 15 years and more gets 40
to 50 kg of organic manure. Inorganic fertilisers are applied, starting
with 20 g Nitrogen (N), 18 g Phosphorus (P205)
and 50 g Potash (K20) per plant in the first year, 40
g Nitrogen (N), 36 g Phosphorus (P205) and
100 g Potash (K20) per plant in the second year and gradually
incrased to 300 g Nitrogen (N), 250 g Phosphorus (P205)
and 750 g Potash (K20) per plant for trees of 15 years
and more. Organic manure is applied in May-June with the commencement of monsoon. Fertilisers are given in two equal split doses, one in May-June along with the organic manure and the other in September-October. For manuring shallow trench is dug around the tree about 50 to 160 cm away from the base depending upon the age. No intercultivation is usually done for clove. However, weeds are removed at regular intervals. As the branches of full grown trees have tendency to overcrowd, thinning is done occasionally. Dead and diseased shoots should be removed once or twice a year. |
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Plant Protection |
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| Pests | ||
| There are only a few pests attacking clove. Among
them stem borer, scales and mealy bugs are important. Stem Borer (Sahyadrassus malabaricus):This is the most important pest of clove. The caterpillars bore into the main stem resulting in immediate drying up of the plant above the point of attack and causing the death of the plant ultimately. Regular inspection of the plants and pouring a solution of 0.1% Quinalphos into the bore hole and plugging the opening as soon as the attack is noticed, will check the damage. Clean cultivation and swabbing the surface of the stem with Carbaryl 50% wettable powder as prophylactic measure will control the pest. Scales (Lecanium psidii) and Mealy Bugs (Planococcus sp. Psuedococus sp.): Damages due to mealy bugs occur by sucking the sap from tender shoots. Affected portions dry up gradually. Infestation of scales is on leaves and tender shoots, and is serious in the nursery. Young seedlings if attacked are killed soon. Spraying with 0.05% Monocrotophs or Dimethoate will control these pests. |
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Diseases |
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| Diseases, are more damaging to clove than pests.
The, important diseases are seedling wilt, leaf rot, leaf spot,
twig blight, die back and sudden death. Seedling Wilt: Seedling wilt is found mainly in nurseries and causes five to 40% death of seedlings. Leaves of affected seedlings loose natural lustre, tend to droop and ultimately die. The root system and collar region of the seedling show varying degrees of, discolouration and decay. Fungus such as Cylindrocladium sp., Fusarium sp., Colletotrichum sp., Rhizoctonia sp., and Trichoderma sp. have been isolated from infected parts. However, the actual causal agent is yet to be determined. Since the infected seedlings promote spread of the disease they are to be removed and destroyed and the nursery is drenched with any of the copper fungicides. Leaf rot: It is caused by the fungus Cylindrocladium quinquiseptatum. It is noticed in the nurseries as well as in the main field both at young and mature stages. Infection starts as dark spots at the leaf margin and spreads sometimes with no definite pattern. Rotting may be in the whole leaf or at the tip resulting in defoliation, Seedling and young plants can be sprayed with systemic fungicides like Bavistin @ 2 g/litre of water for controlling the disease. Last Spot, Twig Blight and Flower Bud shedding: The above diseases are caused by Colletotrichum gleosporioides. Necrotic spots of variable size and shapes are noticed on the leaves. Severely affected leaves wither, droop down and dry up. In nursery seedlings die back symptoms are seen. Twigs are infected as the symptoms extend from the leaves through petioles. The affected branches stand without leaves or only with young leaves at tips. Flower buds are attacked by spreading infection from the twigs. Shedding of flower buds occurs during periods of heavy and continuous rainfall. Spraying 1% Bordeaux Mixture at one to 1½ months interval reduces disease intensity, defoliation and flower bud shedding. Initial spray is given just prior to flower bud formation and continued till the harvest of buds. Die Back: This disease effects young seedlings and grown up trees alike. The leaves rot and fall leading occasionally to total defoliation. The twigs also rot starting from tips and proceed downwards resulting in drying up of branches. Spraying with 1% Bordeaux mixture is effective in controlling the disease. Sudden Death: It is a common disease in Zanzibar and Pemba The disease is reported to be caused by a fungus, Valsa eugeniae. The characteristic form of the disease occurs on apparently healthy mature trees. The first symptom is very slight chlorosis. It may persist for several weeks and is followed quite suddenly by a very rapid leaf fall accompanied by a wilt. A considerable proportion of the leaves dry up on the tree, without abscising and becomes bright russet-red within a few days. The cambium around the collar of the tree is stained bright yellow, which later spreads up the trunk and after some months the yellow stain becomes widespread throughout the tree. Sudden death is, closely related with water stress and wilting can be arrested by irrigation. |
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Harvesting and Curing |
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| Clove tree begins to yield from the seventh year
of planting and full bearing stage is attained after 15 to 20 years.
The flowering season is September to October in the plains and December
to February at high altitudes. Flower buds are formed on young flush. It takes about five to six months for the buds to become ready for harvest. The optimum stage for picking clove buds is when the buds are fully developed and the base of the calyx has turned from green to pink colour. Such clove buds are carefully picked by hand. Care should be taken to collect the buds at the correct stage as otherwise the quality of the produce will be poor to a considerable extent. When the trees are tall and the branches are beyond the reach, platform ladders are used for harvesting. Bending the branches or knocking down the bud clusters with sticks is not desirable as these practices will affect the future bearing. The buds after separation from the stalks are spread evenly to dry, in-the sun on mats or cement floors. During nights buds should be stored undercover, lest they re-absorb moisture. The period of drying depends on the prevailing climatic conditions. Normally, it is possible to dry cloves in four or five days under direct sun and in about four hours when they are heated on zinc trays over a regulated fire. Fully dried buds develop the characteristic dark brown colour and are crisp. Improperly dried and stored cloves have much darker colour and some wheat wrinkled appearance. Such a produce is considered inferior in quality. About 8000 to 10,000 good quality clove buds would weigh one kilogram. |
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Yield |
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| A well maintained full grown tree under favourable conditions may give four to eight dried buds. The average annual yield at the 15th year may be taken as two kg per tree or 400 kg per hectare. | ||
International Tradede |
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| Tanzania, Indonesia, Madagascar, Comoro and Sri Lanka are the major clove exporting countries. In recent years, world production of clove averaged around 80,000 tonnes a year. Indonesia is the world's biggest producer at 50,000-60,000 tonnes. It uses mainly in the preparation of 'kretek' cigarettes. Singapore is the entrepot for clove trade. Saudi Arabia, USA, France and India are the major importing countries. |
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