Journal of Medicinal Plants (Dec 2013)
Effects of Different Levels of Zeolite on Plant Growth and Amount of Gel Production in Aloe vera L. under Different Irrigation
Abstract
Background: Researcherschr('39') attention has been focused on Aloe vera for a long time due to the numerous medicinal effects of this plant and its application in various fields of food, cosmetic and hygienic industries. Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the different levels of Zeolite and irrigation conditions on vegetative growth and quantitative and qualitative changes in plant gel. Methods: It is based on a factorial randomized complete block design with 4 levels of Zeolite in soil and 3 levels of irrigation, in 3 replications. After 5 months, morphological traits were measured. Also the amount of aloin in leaf and vitamin C in the gel were measured. Results: The best results of morphological traits were obtained with 22 g Zeolite treatment in 5 kg pots of soil and 21 days irrigation. The highest amount of aloin was observed in 44 g Zeolite treatment in 5 kg pots of soil with 7 days irrigation. The highest amount of vitamin C was obtained in 44 g Zeolite treatment in 5 kg pots of soil with 14 days irrigation. Conclusion: The overall results showed that zeolite plays an important role in promoting growth and increasing secondary metabolites in plant Aloe vera under different irrigation.
