Establistment of Aloe vera (Aloe vera L) on sand-tailing

Aloe vera L., a drought resistant perennial herb is native to Africa and the Mediterranean regions. It is now grown all over the tropics and subtropics for its succulent leaves. Aloe vera has been traditionally used to treat burns, wounds,fever, ulcers and a host of other ailments. This study presents a first attempt in the establishment of A. vera on sand-tailings. The trial was conducted on sand-tailings at MARDI Station, Kundang. Poultry manure (PM) and palm oil mill effluent (POME) each at 1 and 2 kg/plant was applied and mixed with the sand in 20 cm deep furrows dug at 70 em apart, in 3 m x 3 m plots. Plantlets of 15 cm tall raised in polybags were transplanted into the furrows at 50 cm apart, giving a total density of 24 plants/plot. Inorganic fertiliser (N: P,O,: K,O: MgO= 12:12:17:2 + trace) was applied at 15 g/plant at monthly intervals. Additional organic fertilisers were applied at 375 g/plant at bimonthly intervals. Plant height, number of mature leaves/plot and weight of mature leaves harvested/plot were recorded. Leaf length and width were also measured. The gel in the leaf was obtained by making a slit along the leaf and scooping out the contents.There were no significant differences between the treatments for all the plant characteristics. The mean plant height ranged from 38 to 45 cm. The mean number of mature leaves harvested from the two central rows in each plot (12 plants) ranged from 21.7 to 38.3. The weight of these harvested leaves ranged from 3290 to 6777 g. The mean length of the leaves ranged from 37.5 to 46.5 cm mid the mean width from 6.2 to 7.7 cm. The mean weight of gel/leaf ranged from 88.0 to 159.2 g. The highest gel yield/leaf was from the higher rate of PM. The estimated gel yield/ha ranged from 6.3 to 14.5 t. Though there were no significant differences, both PM and POME at the higher rate, gave higher values for all the plant characteristics. It was concluded that A. vera was a potential crop for cultivation on sand-tailings. Poultry manure at 1.5 kg/plant as basal and top dressings at 375 g/plant/2 months, and inorganic fertiliser at 1.5 g/plant/month could be recommended for the cultivation of A. vera on sand-tailings.