Avaliation of the effects of using Aloe vera gel in the early growth of seedlings of economic interest

摘要

http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/2236117010851 This study aimed to test the use of fresh gel of Aloe barbadensis Miller plant in cultivation, substituting commercial agar as an alternative?means of lowering costs, and provide an innovative approach in its use. Plants growing in a substrate of Aloe and consistently showed lower?growth rate than plants grown in soil. Results indicated that Aloe benefits promoted in the initial growth, but with increasing cultivation?time, parts of the plant ceased growing. However, the period of emergence of new leaves is similar to that of plants grown in soil. The?determination of the dry mass also did not differ between treatments, showing that carbon assimilation was not affected by the substrate of?aloe. Finally, it is clear that aloe vera might become a key element in experiments on growing plants under controlled conditions for being?an excellent nutrient and moisturizer.