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Fertilizer trials on performance of Aloe-vera

Article  in  Research on Crops · August 2008

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Res. on Crops 9 (2) : 386-389 (2008)
Printed in India

Fertilizer trials on performance of Aloe-vera

F. M. OWOADE*, G. O. ADEOYE1, O. O. ADE OLUWA1, O. O. OLATUNJI AND
B. A. LAWAL

Department of Agronomy
Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria
*(e-mail : folasadeat2003@yahoo.co.uk)

ABSTRACT

Pot experiment was conducted at the University of Ibadan, Ibadan between

November 2001 and March 2002 to determine the effects of different fertilizers on the
performance of Aloe-vera using a completely randomized design with 19 treatments with
four replicates. The fertilizer treatments were control (no fertilizer), 100 and 200 kg/ha
of NPK 10 -10-10, NPK 15-15-15 and NPK 27-13-13, 50 and 100 kg/ha N (Urea), 40 and
80 kg P2O5/ha as sokoto rock phosphate. Others are 20 and 40 kg P2O5/ha as SSP,
organomineral fertilizer grade A and B at 2 and 5 t/ha, 40 and 80 kg/ha K2O as KCl
fertilizer. Parameters measured were leaf length, leaf width, weight gained, number of
leaves and number of shoots. Aloe-vera plant treatments with NPK 20-10-10 at 200 kg/
ha were the most superior and significantly higher than other treatments in terms of
weight, leaf length and leaf width.

Key words : Aloe-vera, medicinal plants, organic fertilizer, organomineral fertilizer,

sokoto rock phosphate, suckers

INTRODUCTION vital for vegetarians, minerals and amino

Aloe-vera (L.) Burm. f. is one of the oldest
known medicinal plants used by the ancient
Greek in their prescriptions, while the Egyptians
used it for beauty treatment and in embalming.
There are over 250 species of Aloe-vera grown
around the world. However, only two species are
grown today commercially, with Aloe barbadensis
Miller and Aloe aborescens being the most popular
(The Garden Helper, 2000; IASC, 2002). Historical
evidences point to Africa as origin centre of Aloe-
vera miller, a species already cultured by
Egyptians and Mediterranean people thousands
of years B. C. APG II System (2003) placed the
genus in the family Asphodelaceae. In the past,
it has also been assigned to families Aloaceae
and Liliaceae.
Phytochemical studies have shown
the presence of several bioactive compounds
originated from Aloe-vera’s primary and
secondary metabolism pathways which have
been widely used in formulations (gels and
juices e. g.) in commercial scale all over the
world (Campestrini, 2006). Inside its spiky
leaves is a pulp containing essential vitamins
such as E, C, B, B2, B3, B6 and B12, which are
acids. These help the body regulate itself and
can alleviate such chronic conditions as
psoriasis, asthma and arthritis. When added
to moisturizers, soaps and sun creams, they
can regulate and improve the skin. It also
contains other minerals such as calcium,
zinc, iron, manganese, magnesium,
potassium, and nine out of the 10 essential
amino acids (Gods power 2001). Other uses of
aloes include their role in alternative
medicines and in home first aid. Both the
translucent inner pulp as well as the resinous
yellow exudates from wounding the aloe plant
are used externally to relieve skin discomforts
and internally as a laxative.
Aloe-vera are relatively easy to grow, the
plant needs bright sunlight and light well-
drained soil in winter and is fed a balanced
liquid feed during the growing season
(Ultimate Fat Burner, 2005). Aloe India (2007)
reported that Aloe-vera can be grown on any
soil with temperate climate and rainfall, but
the most ideal soil for it is sandy loam that is
slightly alkaline. Apart from farm yard manure
(FYM) and natural manures with good
nutritional value and time of land preparation;

1
Department of Agronomy, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.
 Effect of fertilizers on Aloe-vera
Aloe-vera demands additional supplements like
ammonium nitrate for optimal yield. Aloe-vera
can be fertilized yearly in the spring with a
dilute (half strength), bloom type fertilizer (10-
40-10). With the recent drive towards the use
of Aloe-vera as medicinal plants in Nigeria, the
judicious use of production inputs like
fertilizers among others for optimum yield
needs to be examined. The situation with Aloe-
vera is no exception given the increase in
domestic and industrial uses as well the dearth
of information on fertilizer requirement and
with this assertion in mind that this work sets
out to examine the effect of fertilizer and
fertilizer requirement of Aloe-vera.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The Study Site and Soil Sample
The study was conducted in a green
house in the Department of Agronomy,
University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria between
November 2001 and March 2002 (7°24′N, 3°54′E
210′M above sea level). Rainfall distribution
at Ibadan ,which is in the forest savannah
transition zone, is bimodal; the main rainy
season is from April to August, and the minor
rainy season from August to October, followed
by a long dry season from November to March.
The average rainfall is 1230 mm per annum.
Soil sample was collected from the Rockfeller
Foundation Experimental Field, University of
Ibadan. The soil was air-dried, sieved through
a 2mm mesh sized sieve. The soil sample was
analyzed for physical and chemical properties.
Fertilizer Treatments and Plant Establishment
There were 19 fertilizer treatments laid
out as completely randomized design replicated
four times. Seventy-six pots were filled with 2
kg soil each. Planting was done by removing
the offsets (Suckers) produced around the base
of mature plants. Fertilizer was applied using
placement method. Watering was done twice
a week. Weeding was manually done using
hands two weeks after transplanting the
sucker and subsequent weeding was
manually carried out at three weeks interval.
Data Collection and Analysis
Growth parameters such as leaf length,
387
number of leaves, numbers of suckers, leaf
width and final weight were taken and the data
analysis using analysis of variance (ANOVA)
(SAS, 1995) and where the F-values were
significant (P=0.05). The means were
separated by Duncan’s multiple range test
(Duncan, 1955).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Number of Leaves
There was general increase in the
number of leaves per plant throughout the
growing period. At 17 weeks after
transplanting, NPK 20-10-10 at 200 kg/ha gave
the highest number of leaves per plant which
differed significantly from all other treatments
(Table 1).
Number of New Shoots or Pups
NPK 27-13-13 at 200 kg/ha had the
highest number of new shoots followed by urea
46-0-0 at 100 kg/ha and single super
phosphate at 40 kg/ha, while organo-mineral
fertilizer grade B at 2 t/ha produced no new
shoot (Table 2).
Weight Gained
There was a general increase in weight
per plant throughout the growing period at 17
weeks after transplanting. NPK 20-10-10 at
200 kg/ha gave the highest weight followed by
NPK 20-10-10 at 100 kg/ha and NPK 15-15-15
at 100 kg/ha (Table 3).
The soil is generally low in total N,
available P and exchangeable K. The soil is
classified as sandy soil. The implication here
is that the soil is low in major element and
cannot support most crops, Aloe-vera not an
exception. The critical levels ranged between
3-5% for most crops but with regards to this
particular soil, the content was 1.43% which
was too low to achieve the stated benefits,
therefore, the response from the plots which
received no fertilizer did not perform highly as
these received different rates of fertilizers. The
superiority of the NPK and urea fertilizer in
respect of the growth parameter may be related
to the presence of nitrogen which is good for
vegetative growth of the plant, while that of
KCl may be due to their low application rate
388 Owoade, Adeoye, Oluwa, Olatunji and Lawal

Table 1. Effect of different fertilizer treatments on number of leaves of Aloe-vera per plant

Treatment Weeks after transplanting (WAT)

1 3 5 7 10 12 14 17

Control 5.00bc 5.75abcde 6.50abcde 6.60abc 7.75bcd 8.25bcd 7.50fg 8.75cde

A1 6.25abc 6.50abc 7.25a 8.00ab 9.50a 10.00ab 10.00ab 10.50ab
A2 6.00abc 6.50abc 7.00ab 7.75ab 9.50a 10.25a 10.25a 11.25a
B1 6.50ab 6.00abcde 7.00ab 5.50c 8.50abcd 9.50abcd 9.75abc 10.50ab
B2 5.50abc 6.50abc 7.00ab 5.50c 8.50abcd 9.50abcd 9.75abc 10.50ab
C1 6.25abc 6.75ab 7.25a 8.00ab 9.00ab 9.75abc 10.00ab 10.75ab
C2 6.00abc 5.50bcde 6.50abcd 7.00abc 8.25abcde 9.50abcd 9.25abcde 10.50ab
D1 6.75a 6.50abc 6.75abc 7.00abc 8.25abcde 8.50abcd 8.50bcde 9.25bcd
D2 6.75a 7.25a 7.25a 8.50a 8.75abc 9.50abcd 9.25abcde 10.57ab
E1 6.25abc 4.50de 6.25abcde 6.25bc 7.75bcde 8.50abcd 8.25cdefg 9.25bcd
E2 5.00bc 5.25bcde 5.75abcde 5.00c 7.25cdef 8.25bcd 8.25cdefg 8.75cde
F1 6.50ab 6.75ab 7.25a 7.75ab 8.00abcde 9.25abcd 8.50bcdef 9.25bcd
G1 5.25abc 6.00abcde 6.00abcde 7.00abc 7.50bcde 7.75de 7.50fg 7.00gf
G2 4.75c 4.25e 4.75e 5.50c 6.75ef 7.75de 7.75efg 8.25def
H1 5.00bc 5.25bcde 5.50bcde 6.50abc 7.25cdef 7.75de 7.50fg 7.50gf
H2 5.25abc 5.00bcde 6.00abcde 6.50abc 7.00def 8.50abcd 8.75abcdef 8.25def
I1 5.00bc 5.00bcde 5.00de 5.25c 5.75f 6.00e 6.75g 6.50g
I2 4.75c 4.75cde 5.25cde 6.00bc 7.75bcde 8.00cd 8.0defg 8.75cde

Means having the same letter along columns indicate no significant difference using Duncan Multiple Range
Test (DMRT) at 5% probability level.
A1=NPK 20-10-10 at 100 kg/ha, A2=NPK 20-10-10 at 200 kg/ha, B1=Urea 46-0-0 at 50 kg/ha,
B2=Urea 46-0-0 at 100 kg/ha, C1=NPK 15-15-15 at 100 kg/ha, C2=NPK 15-15-15 at 200 kg/ha, D1=NPK 27-13-
13 at 100 kg/ha, D2=NPK 27-13-13 at 200 kg/ha, E1=Sokoto Rock Phosphate at 40 kg/ha, E2=Sokoto Rock
Phosphate at 80 kg/ha, F1=Single Super Phosphate at 20 kg/ha, F2=Single Super Phosphate at 40 kg/ha,
G1=Organomineral Fertilizer A at 2 t/ha, G2=Organomineral fertilizer B at 5 t/ha, H1=Organomineral fertilizer A
at 2 t/ha, H2=Organomineral fertilizer B at 5 t/ha, I1=Potassium chloride at 40 kg/ha, I2=Potassium chloride at
80 kg/ha.

Table 2. Effect of different fertilizer treatments on which could not meet the N and K reguirement
number of new shoots or pups
of the plant.
Treatment Weeks after transplanting (WAT) The significant effect on the leaf
number may be due to presence of nitrogen
7 10 12 14 17
which is good for vegetative growth and
Control 0.50a 1.00ab 1.00a 1.00ab 1.00ab phosphorus which is essential for cell division
A1 1.25a 2.50ab 1.25a 1.50ab 1.75ab and for the development of the plant tissues
A2 1.00a 1.00ab 1.00a 1.00a 1.25ab
B1 0.00a 0.75ab 0.75a 1.50ab 1.00ab which form the growing point of plants. The
B2 0.50a 1.00ab 2.00a 1.75ab 2.25ab lower leaf number observed in the other plant
C1 0.00a 0.00b 0.00a 0.50ab 1.25ab
C2 0.50a 1.25ab 1.50a 1.50ab 1.50ab
may be due to their low application rate which
D1 0.50a 1.225ab 1.50a 1.50ab 1.50ab could not meet the N and K reguirement of
D2 1.00a 1.50ab 1.75 2.25a 2.75a the plant.
E1 0.25a 0.50 0.75a 0.75ab 1.00ab
E2 0.00a 0.00b 0.00a 0.00b 0.25ab The significant difference observed in
F1 0.75a 1.00b 1.00a 0.75ab 1.50ab the fresh weight at 17 WAT from the
F2 1.50a 2.25ab 2.25a 2.00ab 2.25ab treatment of NPK and urea could be related to
G1 0.00a 1.00b 1.00a 1.00a 0.75ab
G2 0.00a 0.25b 0.25a 0.25a 0.25ab its N content which is responsible for lush
H1 0.00a 0.00b 0.23a 0.00b 0.00b vegetative growth, while the low weight
H2 0.23a 0.00b 0.25a 0.00b 0.75ab observed in the treatment KCl, organo-
I1 1.25a 0.25ab 1.25a 1.25ab 1.50ab
I2 0.00a 0.00a 0.00a 0.00b 0.25ab mineral fertilizer grade A and B, sokoto rock
phosphate was due to the low application rate
Means having the same letter along the columns
indicate no significant difference using Duncan
which could not meet the N and K
Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at 5% probability level. requirement of Aloe-vera.
 Effect of fertilizers on Aloe-vera 389

Table 3. Effect of different fertilizer treatments on the weight gained (g) of Aloe-vera

Treatment Initial weight (g) Final weight (g) Mean weight gained

Control 9.2 87.50 21.84f

A1 19.2 150.00 37.50b
A2 19.2 176.25 44.06a
B1 19.2 106.25 26.55e
B2 19.2 116.25 26.05d
C1 19.2 138.25 34.56c
C2 19.2 135.00 33.75c
D1 16.3 89.25 22.31f
D2 16.3 135.00 33.75c
E1 16.3 85.75 21.44fg
E2 16.3 77.50 19.38gh
F1 16.3 90.50 22.63f
F2 16.3 111.75 27.94de
G1 9.2 46.25 11.56j
G2 9.2 85.0 21.25fgh
H1 9.2 76.67 19.17gh
H2 9.2 66.67 16.67i
I1 9.2 76.00 19.00de
I2 9.2 113.25 28.31

Means having the same letter along columns indicate no significant difference using Duncan
Multiple Range Test at 5% probability level.

REFERENCES Duncan, D. B (1955). Multiple range and multiple

Aloe India (2007). The plant of immortality.http://
aloeindia.com/FAQS.HTM. pp. 1-3.
Campestrini, L. H. (2006). Cloning protocol of Aloe-
vera as a study case for “Tailor-made”
Biotechnology to small farmers. J. Technol.
Management and Innovation 1, issue 5.
F-tests. Biometrics 11 : 25-40.
International Aloe Science Council (2007). http:/
/www. Iasc. org/aloe. Html.
The Garden Helper (2000). http;//www.the garden
helper.com/aloe~vera htm. pp. 1-3.
Ultimate Fat Burner (2005). http:// vitarmins.
ultimate fatbuner.com/aloe-vera.html.

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