(392) Effect of Bovine Manure Application to Soil on the Development of Sabila Crops (Aloe vera barbadensis) in the Sonoran Desert

Abstract

The sabila plant is considered a strategic crop for the arid and semi-arid lands of Mexico, because it can be a high water-efficient crop due to its low water requirements, and is currently developing satisfactorily on an experimental scale in the agricultural area of Caborca, Sonora, Mexico, in the Sonoran Desert. This agricultural zone is characterized by a sandy soil with little or no organic matter and limited water supplies. Research consisted of evaluating the effect of bovine manure (BM) application to soil on the yield and size of sabila leaves. A sabila planting was established in Summer 2002, with a density of 15,000 plants/ha. Two applications of BM (9 t·ha-1) were made, one at planting time in Aug. 2002, and another one in Feb. 2003. BM was not applied to the control treatment. Although the harvest of leaves initiated in Dec. 2003 (plant formation), the first commercial harvest was made in Jan. 2005. We measured the yield and the average weight of leaves. The results indicated statistical differences (0.05) and an increase in the yield of 12.2 t·ha-1, which represents 26% more with the BM application with respect to the control, which produced 47.1 t·ha-1. As far as the average weight of leaves, there were no statistical differences between the BM application (597 g) and the control (532 g), although in both cases, they met the standards demanded by companies that manufacture products with sabila.