Reflection

Looking back at this blog, I'm actually really glad I wrote it. Before starting on it, I had no idea how it worked. But now, I think I managed pretty well.

I would like to thank all my readers for following me through this journey. Also, I would like to thank you for giving me the needed feedback.

I hope you enjoyed reading my blog and I wish you all the best!

Production methods and Organic Agriculture

Welcome to my final post already! As the name, this post will be about Organic Agriculture. However, first I will give you a summary of the production methods in Honduras for Aloe vera.

Summary of Production methods

First the healthiest shoots are selected and taken from the mother plant. They are put into bags so the plants can develop. Once they have their own rooting system, the Aloe vera plants are planted in the ground, which is minimally tillage and spread with organic fertilizer. The plants are irrigated by a drip irrigation system. The harvesting of Aloe vera happens in dry season or summer. The leaves and stems are cut of at the base of the plant, which is done by hand. Once the harvest is carried out of the field, it is transported to a soap producing company. Here the Aloe vera is washed, removed from its skin, with just leaving the gel. This gel is used in the company’s soaps.

Organic Agriculture

Are there examples of organic production for Aloe vera?

Yes, there are. I investigated Aloe vera cultivation in Honduras, which is already an example itself. In Honduras organic fertilizer and no pesticides are used.

A second example is the cultivation in the Canary Islands. According to Atlantia, it grows in an optimal environment that contains a high amount of active ingredients and minerals in a natural way. [Altantia] The plants from the Canaries are organically grown and is even awarded by the Regulatory Council for Organic Farming.

Figure 11: Atlantia's pure Aloe vera gel

 Possible markets for the organically produced Aloe vera

Major markets already are Australia, US and Europe. However, personally I think Asia could be a possible market too. Or rich oil states and countries such as The United Arad Emirates.

Harvesting and Storage

Common harvest and Storage methods for Aloe vera in Honduras

In Honduras, the harvesting of the Aloe vera, consists of cutting the leaves and stems at the base of the plant. This happens during the dry season or summer and is done manually. Once the harvest is carried out of the field, the Aloe vera leaves and stems are transported to the artificer soap producing companies, which buy the raw materials. Here, the Aloe vera is further processed. The Aloe vera is not stored by the farmers itself, but it is immediately transported to their client. [FAO]

Opportunities for improvement

The possibilities for mechanical harvesting of Aloe vera are limited. In this area there is no room for improvement. Personally, I think it is a good thing that the plants are harvested manually, because this way, the local people still have work to have a source of income. It could be an option to have a storage place at the plantation itself. This way, spoilage is minimized. [FAO]

To give you an impression of the harvesting and storage I added a link with a nice video of Aloe vera in the Dominican Republic. Check it out and let me know how you feel about it. 

Click here!  

Since it was hard to find harvesting methods within an Aloe vera plantation, I wrote a part about how you can harvest Aloe vera at your own home, to give you an indication of how it works. [aloeverareview] Try it out and feel free to message me.

Harvesting:

1. First of all, you will need a thick leaf. You should feel a bit of give, when squeezing the leaf. The size of the leaf doesn’t matter, since it depends on the size of your plant.  
2. Once you know which leaves you want to harvest, use a sharp knife to cut them off. Do so, as close to the base as possible.
3. After you have cut off the leaf, let the aloin (yellow brown sap) drip out by holding the cut side down. 

Making a gel/Processing:

1. Wash the leaf or leaves with clean water.
2. Cut open the leaf and peel off the outer green skin.
3. Cut out the sections with knots, since there won’t be any gel in here.
4. After peeling of the skin and removing knots, you should be left with translucent gel.

Storing:

1. Cut the section in smaller pieces. This way it will be easier to use later.





Figure 10: Slices of Aloe vera and Sections of Aloe vera gel 

2. Keep it in the refrigerator for a week or store it in the freezer for a month.
   
   

Weeds, Plant Diseases and Insects

Weeds

According to the FAO, weed management requires at least two weed controls per year. This weed control method is done by hand, which is very sustainable. The reason why it can be done by hand is, because nit much weed controls are needed.

Plant Disease and Insects

No pest or disease related problems have been reported in Honduras, according to the FAO. However, there are insects such as ants and sap sucking insects. These could cause importunity, but no notable economic losses in the plantation. In regions outside Honduras, the following diseases do occur: [homeguides] 

Aloe Rust

This fungal disease causes brown or black spots on the leaves. It is because of a very aggressive fungus, which attaches itself to the leaf. When succeeded, it starts looking like a yellow spot below the skin of the leaf, where after it starts to grow. After this, the skin is the leaf breaks, showing the spores that now look rust colored, see figure 7. With the help of the wind, the spores can be spread over a big area. Here, the spores can attach and grow again.

Figure 8: Aloe Rust

Method of management:

Cut off infected leaves and dispose them in a closed bag. Spots, where the skin has not broken yet, can be treated by breaking the leaf skin and applying formalin. This formalin kills the spots and also that part of the leaf. However, it is an effective treatment.

Root Rot

This disease can have two causes. The first is enduring exposure to overwatered conditions, which could cause the roots to die due to a lack of oxygen. When the roots die, they can rot away. Healthy roots can also get affected by the rotting parts and it will kill them too.

The second cause could be a fungus, living in the soil. The fungus stays dormant in the soil, but once Aloe vera is overwatered, it can wake up. The fungus will attack the roots, leading them to die and rot away. Root rot leads to the plant slowly fading away. The leaves will turn yellow and the roots be black and soft. When removing the plant from the soil, the affected roots will fall off. Healthy roots will be black too, however they will still be firm.See figure 9 to see a picture of root rot. The rotten roots have fallen off. [gardeningknowhow] 

Figure 9: Root Rot

Method of management:

When having Aloe vera in a pot, first remove the plant from the soil and wash the roots. Wash away the soil and take the affected roots off with a scissors. The scissors should be cleaned with alcohol inbetween. Also, cut off 50 percent of the leaves, so Aloe vera will have a better chance to regrow its roots. Dispose the soil in the pot and wash the pot. Finally, repot Aloe vera. [gardeningknowhow] 

Soft Rot

A few years ago, bacterial soft rot was stated in India, see figure 10. It was caused by the bacteria Pectobacterium chrysanthemi, a mobile, non-spore forming organism, which can produce colonies. [ndrs] Soft rot spreads through the inside of the plant and causes water soaked spots in the leaves of Aloe vera. These leaves turn soft. Unlike Aloe rust, these spots can grow and merge with other spots. Water that heaps up in the crown of the plant, may cause the plant to be receptive to soft rot.

Figure 10: Soft Rot in India

Method of management:
The best treatment is prevention, by letting the soil dry out between watering the plants. Also, avoid overwatering. Plants that show disease symptoms, should be removed and disposed. Finally, just as the scissors I talked about above, tools should be disinfected to prevent the spread of disease.

Tillage practices, crop establishment and other practices

The following steps will indicate what practices are carried out in the production of Aloe vera as a raw material. Most steps are carried out by manual labor.

1. Selection and recollection of shoots

The shoots from a mother plant are used and taken once the selection of the healthiest shoots has been made. This happens very careful, since damage to the roots is not wanted. [FAO]

2. Establishment of nurseries

At this step bags are filled with a mixture of earth, organic materials and sand so the Aloe vera can develop. The plants take root after 2 months, and once they have their own root system, they are taken to the place where they will get planted in the soil. [FAO]

3. Soil preparation/Tillage practices

For this chapter I tried to look for tillage practices for Aloe vera. However, it was really hard to find anything. According to the FAO, in Honduras, there is minimum tillage and spreading of organic fertilizer. Since the cultivation in Honduras happens in dry areas, it is necessary to avoid soil erosion.
Sowing is done using contour lines and minimum tillage, which consists of ploughing the soil only in the area where plants will be settled. [FAO]

4. Definitive sowing

Sowing happens in the beginning of the rainy season. However, if the plants are irrigated, it can take place at any time of the year. Aloe vera plants are spaced between 50 cm and 70 cm apart. Ditches are spaced 70 cm apart. [FAO] Figure 7 will give you an indication of how this will look like.

Figure 7: Aloe vera plantation

5. Installation of irrigation system

Watering the plants is not done by hand anymore. In 2006, drip irrigation systems were installed on the plantations. This was done in order to receive an increased production and productivity. [FAO] 

6. Crop Management

This includes pests and weed management. However, I will talk about this in one of my next posts.

7. Extraction of the leaves or stems

This includes harvesting the Aloe vera, which will also be brought up in one of my next posts.

Soils

Recap soil texture best for Aloe vera

In my last post we already talked about the soil needed for Aloe vera. However, I will give you a short summary to refresh your minds.

‘Aloe vera naturally occurs in dry and poor soils, but it could grow well on several different soil types, as long as they have good drainage.’

Most common soil types in the Netherlands

Since we know Aloe vera needs dry soils or good drainage, we will now look at the most common soil types in my region, the Netherlands. When looking at figure 6, we see the different types of soil within the Netherlands.  The only two soil types in the Netherlands that have a good drainage are sand and peat. These are the yellow and purple areas. The other areas are not drained; their soils are wet.

Figure 6: Map of soils in the Netherlands

Conclusion
When looking just at the soil, Aloe vera could grow in the Netherlands. However, the plant needs the right temperature too. And if you remember from the last chapter, the temperature in the Netherlands does not meet the needs for Aloe vera. The plant cannot be grown in my country.

Nutritional requirements for Aloe vera

Aloe vera does not need fertilizer to grow. However, that does not mean it cannot benefit from fertilizers. When having the right fertilizer, you can help your Aloe vera to grow bigger. Also, the amount of flowers and the health of the plant will be increased. When having a Aloe vera plantation, I can understand there is a use of fertilizer. However, the use of fertilizer is minimal. In Honduras, the organic fertilizer bokashi is used. This is fermented organic matter. [FAO] Extra nutrition from fertilizers are not needed, but they sure can help the plant. [aloeplant]

Environment and Agroecosystems

The environment needed

Climate and sun
Aloe vera needs a temperature of at least 1.7 degrees Celsius. In summer, the plant can endure lows from 10–15.5 degrees Celsius. In winter, Aloe vera does not do well in temperatures under 4.4 degrees Celsius. When the temperature drops too low, the plant could be stored inside. This is of course, when talking about a small amount of plants. When having an entire field of Aloe vera, it is not possible to put the plants inside. An option could be, to use plastic to protect the plants against the cold. Aloe vera plants can endure dry air, since - I hope you remember - it is an CAM plant. Aloe vera requires full sun, so it can flower. However, it can adapt to fragmented shade in some areas.

Soil
Aloe vera naturally occurs in dry and poor soils. However, it could grow well on several different soil types, as long as they have good drainage. Seriously, I remember having a huge Aloe vera plant a few years ago. I put it outside one day, not knowing it would rain very heavily. After the rainfall, I didn’t bother to poor the abundance of water out. And that’s how my plant died. So, drainage is really important. I’m speaking from experience.

Water
Aloe vera requires little water and, as mentioned before, does not respond well when the soil is too wet.  It can tolerate drought, but it is better to give the plant a small amount of water. In spring and summer, you should give the plant water. However, the plant should get the chance to dry completely before it gets watered again. During the winter months, the plant needs less water.

Winter Protection
As I already mentioned, potted plants can be stored indoors to protect the plants from cold. This could be done when the temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius. Since Aloe vera consists of a relatively large amount of water, it cannot handle freezing. When looking at outdoor plants, the plants can be protected by draping a blanket over them. This will protect Aloe vera against frosts. Do this when the temperature drops to around 0 degrees Celsius. [homeguides] 

Climatic conditions in The Netherlands

Sun
The Dutch summers are unpredictable. We can have warm summer days, but also wet summer days. For example, when having weeks of ‘weak’ summer days, suddenly there could be a heatwave.

Winter
The Dutch winters are just as unpredictable as their summers. In January, it could be 10 degrees Celsius above freezing point, or it could be 10 degrees Celsius below the freezing point. This is a difference of 20 degrees Celsius.

Table 1:Averages and Extremes [1981-2010]

When looking at table 1, the lowest temperature per month is shown. Aloe vera needs to be protected from cold when the temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius. This would mean Aloe vera has to be kept indoors for 10 out of 12 months, just when looking at the temperature.

When looking at rainfall, the average rainfall is maximally 1000 mm per year, according to the WOCT.[woct] This means, naturally, every month we could have a maximum of 83 mm of rainfall. Table 1 shows the average rainfall per month is below 83 mm. 

  

We could draw the conclusion that the Dutch climatic conditions are not optimal for Aloe vera. The rainfall is within limits, but the temperature could cause difficulties.