Effect of different growing media on growth and survivability of Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis).

Introduction

Aloe Vera is a perennial succulent that grows to a height of approximately 60-80 cm. Aloe Vera is xerophytic plant with short and thick stems, fibrous roots and evergreen leaves arranged in a rosette form. The leaves are spear-shaped, fleshy and covered with a waxy cuticle, having thorny margins. Aloe produces bright red to yellow flowers on nearly branched inflorescences. Due to its protoandrous nature, in which the anthers mature before the pistil and the filament is longer than the pistil, the plant is self-incompatible and relies primarily on bees for pollination. Mature fruits develop into capsules (Rathod and Parmar 2025) [17] . The name "Alloeh" derives from Arabic, meaning "shining bitter substance," while "vera" is Latin for "true" (Christaki and Florou Paneri, 2010) [4] . Among more than 400 reported species, Aloe arborescens and Aloe barbadensis are the most widely cultivated for commercial purposes (Moghaddasi and Verma, 2011 [10] ; Manvitha and Bidya, 2014) [9] . The species grows predominantly in arid and semi-arid regions of Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. Structurally, its leaves consist of an outer green parenchyma enclosing a thick, mucilaginous, colorless gel rich in bioactive compounds (Surjushe et al., 2008) [24] . Growing media plays a vital role in plant growth and the biosynthesis of multiple metabolites that improve the nutritional profile of young seedling (Sukewijaya et al., 2025) [22] . Growing media are used to support the growth of plants and they perform four major functions uphold the roots, supply nutrients, water and air. Good quality media also provide physical support to plants and maximum root growth (Grunert et al., 2016) [6] . Soil is the fundamental resource for growing horticultural crops, playing a crucial role in plant health, growth and productivity. (Cannavo et al., 2025) [3] . Sand is an important natural substrate for plant growth. (Richardson et al., 2025) [18] . Blouin et al. (2019) [2] reported that applying vermicompost at 30-50% soil volume increased commercial crop yields by 26%, shoot biomass by 78% and root biomass by 57%. Furthermore, vermicompost fosters antagonistic microbial populations in the rhizosphere, which suppress plant pathogens and pests (Sarma et International Journal of Advanced Biochemistry Research 2025; SP-9(9): 1855-1859 al., 2010) [20] . Its eco-friendly nature makes it a sustainable alternative to chemical fertilizers, helping to reduce environmental pollution while improving soil health (Pathma and Sakthivel, 2012) [13] . Coco peat, with its high porosity and water retention capacity, has been recognized as a sustainable medium for water-scarce regions, as it reduces irrigation frequency while maintaining soil moisture (Neethi et al., 2006) [11] . Azospirillum is a free-living bacteria promote the yield and growth of plants (Sun et al., 2025) [23] . Ghanjeevamrit improve crop productivity by providing sustainable and balanced nutrient (Pushkarna et al., 2025) [15] . Garden soil functions as a baseline medium when supplemented with organic amendments, supports sustainable cultivation by reducing reliance on synthetic inputs (Hussain et al., 2014) [7] . Neem cake, with its antifungal and insect repellent properties, also plays an important role in integrated pest management and organic farming systems (Saurabh et al., 2021) [21] .

Material and Methods

The experiment was conducted during the year 2024-2025 in the shade net house of the Horticulture Farm, Department of Plantation, Spices, Medicinal and Aromatic Crops, College of Horticulture and Research Station (CHRS), Sankara-Patan, Durg, Chhattisgarh. The experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with seven treatments viz. T0 Control (Soil + Sand), T1 (Vermicompost + Soil + Sand), T2 (Coco peat + Soil + Sand), T3 (Azospirillum + Soil + Sand), T4 (Garden soil + Soil + Sand), T5 (Ghanjeevamrit + Soil + Sand), T6 (Neem cake + Soil + Sand) replicated three times. Each treatment consisted of 30 plants. The trial was conducted in polybags of size 15 × 15 cm filled with treatment-specific growing media (T0-T6). The bags were arranged according to designated treatment groups. Uniform Aloe Vera suckers with 2-3 leaves, 8-10 cm height and free from insect and pest were selected as planting material. Suckers were planted in each polybag filled with growing media according to treatments. The growth parameter were measured including number of leaves plant -1 , plant height (cm), length of leaf(cm), stem diameter(cm), number of suckers, root length(cm) and survival % were recorded at 60, 120 and 180 days after planting (DAP).

Results and Discussion

Result of present study revealed that number of leaves plant - 1 , plant height, leaf length, stem diameter, root length was significantly influenced by different growing media except number of suckers per plant was found non-significant as presented in table 1.

Number of Leaves Plant⁻¹

The number of leaves per plant increased progressively from 60 DAP to 180 DAP across all treatments (Table 1) (Fig. 1). At 60 DAP, the maximum number of leaves (4.80) was recorded in T1, while the lowest (4.00) was noted in T0. At 120 DAP, T6 again showed superiority (6.47), followed by T3 (5.33) whereas T0 remained the lowest (4.67). At 180 DAP T1 maintained the highest value (7.20) followed by T3 (6.47) and the minimum was observed in T0 (5.13).Overall, T1 was the most effective treatment for enhancing the number of leaves per plant, whereas T0 consistently showed the lowest performance throughout the growth period.

Vermicompost is assumed to be rich availability of enzymes, vitamins, micro and microelements and growth stimulating hormones which beneficial for growth of medicinal plants more quickly. Through improving N2 fixation and disbanding phosphorus, it also enhance both nitrogen and phosphorus availability (Prabha et al., 2007) [14] .

Plant Height showed a consistent increase with the advancement of growth stages under different treatments ((Table 1) (Fig. 1). At 60 DAP, the tallest plants (26.56 cm) were observed in T1, followed by T5 (26.05 cm), while the shortest plants (21.90 cm) were recorded in T0. At 120 DAP, T1 again exhibited the maximum height (33.56 cm), closely followed by T3 (31.22 cm), whereas the minimum height (25.57 cm) was in T0. At 180 DAP, T1 maintained superiority with 38.23 cm, followed by T3 (36.22 cm), while the lowest height (30.24 cm) was found in T0. Overall, T1 consistently produced the tallest plants across all stages, while T0 showed the least growth in height throughout the experiment. According to Saha et al., 2005 [19] organic manures for example vermicompost are more advantageous for the somatic growth of Aloe Vera compare than chemical fertilizers. Vermicompost includes substantial amounts of humic acids, hamate and nutrients therefore response of the plant to growth might be alike to hormone stimulate activity (Atiyeh et al., 2000) [1] .

The Length of leaves increased steadily with crop age under different treatments (Table 1) (Fig. 1). At 60 DAP, the maximum leaf length (25.87 cm) was recorded ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````ì n T1, followed by T5 (25.79 cm), while the minimum (20.06 cm) was noted in T0. At 120 DAP, T1 again showed the highest value (32.86 cm), followed by T3 (30.61 cm), whereas the lowest (24.57 cm) was recorded in T0. At 180 DAP, T1 maintained superiority with 37.53 cm, followed by T5 (35.87 cm), while T0 remained the lowest (29.24 cm). Overall, T1 was the most effective treatment in promoting leaf elongation at all growth stages, whereas T0 consistently showed the least leaf length throughout the experiment. Tavali et al., (2022) [25] investigated the collective influence of vermicompost on number of bacteria in soil, alkaline phosphatase, β-glycosidase, dehydrogenase, urease and height of the plant, leaf number, herbage yield, sucker number and weight of fresh gel was observed. Additionally examined that in soil bacterial number 140% increased, 125% in urease activity, 122% in alkaline phosphatase activity, 170% in dehydrogenase activity, 123% in β-glycosidase activity, 65% in plant height and 45% in leaf yield and gel weight.

Stem diameter increased progressively with plant growth across all treatments (Table 1) (Fig. 1). At 60 DAP, the maximum Stem diameter (1.60 cm) was observed in T1, followed by T3 (1.41 cm), while the minimum (1.09 cm) was recorded in T0. At 120 DAP, T1 again showed the highest stem diameter (1.91 cm), followed by T3 (1.83 cm), whereas T7 remained the lowest (1.28 cm). At 180 DAP, T1 maintained superiority with 2.60 cm, followed by T3 (2.27 cm), while T0 had the minimum stem diameter (1.72 cm). Overall, T1 consistently produced the thickest stems, indicating it was the most effective treatment for enhancing stem robustness, whereas T0 consistently showed the least stem growth. Application of vermicompost be able to improve stem height, leaf area, number of leaves and weight of plant (Nurhayati et al., 2020 [12] ; Putra et al., 2025) [16] .

Number of Suckers

The Number of suckers per plant increased gradually with age across the treatments (Table 1) (Fig. 2). At 60 DAP, no suckers were observed in any treatment. There is no significant differences found between the treatments in number of suckers. Dipin (2014) [5] observed that there is no significant difference observed in about 6 month after planting on his experiment.

The Root length at 180 DAP varied among the treatments (Table 1) (Fig. 2). The maximum Root length (15.37 cm) was observed in T1, followed by T2 (14.61 cm) and T3 (13.31 cm), while the minimum (9.72 cm) was recorded in T0. Other treatments showed intermediate values, with T5 at 13.08 cm, T4 at 12.91 cm and T6 at 11.41 cm. Overall, T1 consistently promoted the longest root growth, indicating superior nutrient uptake potential, whereas T0 exhibited the shortest roots, reflecting limited growth under control conditions. Vermicompost alone produced more shoots, roots and plantlets weight. According to Joshi et al., 2015 [8] vermicompost application enhance number of leaves, stem height and length of root and improved the quality.

All treatments applied to Aloe Vera plants achieved a 100% survival rate at 180 DAP, with no mortality observed across T0 (Control), T1 (Vermicompost + Soil + Sand), T2 (Coco peat + Soil + Sand), T3 (Azospirillum + Soil + Sand), T4 (Garden soil + Soil + Sand), T5 (Ghanjeevamrit + Soil + Sand) and T6 (Neem cake + Soil + Sand). This consistent 100% survival indicates Aloe Vera's inherent resilience as a succulent, capable of withstanding diverse soil conditions due to its efficient water storage and drought-tolerant physiology. (Table 1) (Fig. 2). Aloe Vera retain their greenness in arid environments and have a tremendous ability to adapt to climate change. These results are consistent with those of Wabuyel et al., (2008), who also found no effect of organic manures on the survival rate of Aloe Vera cultivars.

Conclusion

The study demonstrated that all growing media supported a 100% survival rate of Aloe Vera at 180 DAP. However, significant variations were observed in growth and quality parameters across treatments. Treatment T1 consistently outperformed the others, exhibiting superior performance in the number of leaves plant -1 , plant height, leaf length, stem diameter and root length at 180 DAP. This indicates that the growing medium used in T1 is the most suitable for optimizing both leaf and root growth, as well as quality attributes of Aloe Vera. In contrast, T0 consistently recorded the lowest values across most parameters, suggesting it is the least effective medium. These findings provide valuable insights for selecting the optimal growing medium to enhance Aloe Vera cultivation for both growth and commercial gel production, aligning with the objective of identifying the best medium for growth and quality attributes.

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