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 |
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