Why Does My Clove Look Unhealthy?

Did the branches died back and is a lesion present on branches?

Is the tree dying back, leaves are turning chlorotic and dropping from the tree, new wood is with gray-brown streaks?

Are there any pale yellow spots on leaves, flattened oval insects are present?

Are there dark brown to black lesions on foliage, small fly with a bright yellow abdomen may be present?

Are the leaves covered in sticky residue, leaves are wilting with abnormal coloration, and the plant vigor had been reduced?

Dieback is a fungal disease that is known to infect cloves. Once fungus enters a wound on a branch it moves downward until it reaches the branch junction. All branches above the junction die back. Avoid causing damage to trees with machinery and tools. Protect pruning wounds with fungicide. Infected parts of trees should be pruned out and burned.

Bacterial Sumatra disease is the most serious disease that infects cloves. Bacteria are limited to the water-carrying vessels in the tree. An antibiotic - oxytetracycline - can be injected into the tree to slow the decline of infected trees but there is currently no known cure for the disease. This disease occurs mostly in Indonesia and rarer in other parts of the world.

Coconut scale is a tiny shelled insect that is known to attack cloves. It may be possible to control the coconut scale by pruning infested parts of trees and destroying them by burning. The application of insecticidal oil or pyrethrin will give control in more serious infestations.

Oriental fruit fly is a small insect with that attacks cloves. Its larvae are cream-white maggots that burrow into the fruit. They are serious pests of many crops including mango, avocado, guava, pineapple, and papaya. One of the most effective methods of controlling the oriental fruit fly on many crops is to bag the fruit in paper bags or polythene sleeves to prevent oviposition by female flies. Chemical sprays are most effective when combined with a protein bait to attract the insect.

Soft scale is a rounded scale covered in a white or pink-white waxy substance. Large populations of soft scale promote the development of sooty mold. Natural enemies of the soft scale can generally provide good control of the pest. The application of horticultural oil may be applied if scales become problematic.

If your clove has dark lesions on roots, stunted plant growth, yellow leaves, and low yield the culprits are nematodes. Ring nematode, Reniform nematode, Common spiral nematode are all known to attack cloves. Solarizing soil can reduce nematode populations in the soil and levels of inoculum of many other pathogens.