The Herbal Treasure

Planting Pattern
The field should be prepared well before the onset on monsoon to achieve a fine tilth.The planning pattern of Aloe is shown in figure. A broad bed and furrow system of land treatment is recommended for aloe cultivation under drip fertigation. A bed width of 0.90m + furrow of 0.30m summing up to 1.2m is recommended. The bed height should be maintained at about 15 to 20cm.Accommodate two rows on each bed maintaining a distance of 60cm between rows and 50cm between plants. This planting pattern will give an optimum plant population of 13333 plants/acre (33333 plants/ha) with an effective distance between two laterals of 1.2m. place the drip line between two rows on each bed. Adopt an emitter spacing of 0.5cm with 2LPH discharge.About 15-18cm long root suckers or rhizome cuttings should be planted in such a way that two-third portion of the planting material should be under the ground. Soon after planting the land has to be irrigated according

Water Requirement
Aloe Vera is a succulent having a very low water requirement. The root system is very shallow and spreading type. Its thick leaves and roots have a high capacity of retaining water even under very warm and dry climates and therefore enable the plant to survive under very harsh circumstances where most other vegetation disappears. Established plants will survive a prolonged drought quite well. But for the benefit of the plant and to realize commercial yields, watering at proper time and in proper amounts is necessary. During the winter months, the plant will become somewhat dormant, and use very little amount of water. Hence, in this period watering should be minimal. During the summer months, the soil should be brought to field capacity, but then be allowed to deplete 50% of its water holding capacity before re-watering. A pan evaporation factor of 0.4 may be adequate under varied agro-ecological conditions. However, its needs to be calibrated for a given farming situation.

Weeding
The land should be kept weed free by weeding the plot as and when necessary

Harvesting & Yield
After about 18 months, the crop is ready for harvest. The common method of harvesting is manual leaf cutting. A commercial yield of 20/25 tons per year on fresh weight basis may be obtained under drip fertigation system.