Teak syndrome

The teak syndrome is a dying process of teak trees which occurs on locations without a clear dry season. Part of the teak trees in these regions don't live any longer than 10 to 15 years. The first exterior symptoms are a stagnated growth and withering leafs. After these first symptoms, the affected trees will have to be harvested before the process of weakening causes the wood to be affected by bacterias, fungi and insects.

Some facts about the teak syndrome
There are still a lot of unknowns about the teak syndrome, but the following is known:


 * So far, the teak syndrome only occurs in regions without an annually returning dry season.
 * At an average of 15 years, the trees which are affected are the older trees.
 * The teak syndrome occurs in small groups of eight to ten trees.
 * In Guanacaste and along the Pacific coast-line, from Puntarenas to the south, they report that it doesn't occur there, not even in the relatively wet and/or badly managed parts of plantations.
 * In the wet regions with little summer, it occurs everywhere, even on well-managed plantations, also on top of the hill and often less in lowest parts, lest these are well drained.
 * It manifests itself especially after short periods of real drought, alternated with periods of heavy rainfall.

According to my experience the syndrome is not directly related to climate but more to soil. Of coarse, Costa Rica's dry area has completely different soils than the wet area. The sydrome might hit one individual or affect complete hectares (see Limon and surroundings). Even on the peninsula of Osa the syndrome exists. In the dry part of Guanacaste it occurs but at a later age.

The syndrome is not so much a syndrome as people want it to be, it occurs in all kind of cultures (trees and agricultural crops) and is caused by root decay, ignited by long term iron accumulation in the roots (intoxication) directly caused by dis balance in certain minerals.

It has been proven that forest fire can easily delay the iron accumulation effect. Drainage itself can help because it converts iron's electronic behavior and solubility. For more information please refer to articles published on tobacco (from Mexico till Argentina) and other crops.

Cannot the same symptoms be caused by bad drainage?
Before the teak syndrome started to manifest itself, it was already known that high ground water combined with bad drainage can cause a similar withering process. What is understood here under the namer "teak syndrome" is a dying process caused by the lack of a dry season and not a dying process from only a badly drained soil. A "bad drainage" can easily be remedied, while the occurrence of a dry season cannot be affected in any way after choosing the location for a teak plantation.

Teaksyndroom