EFFECT OF COMPOST-BASED ALTERNATIVE SUBSTRATA IN POTTED ALOE VERA (L.) BURM. F.

The objective of this work was to study the use of two composts, obtained by olive mill (C3) and green waste (C5), made by the Eden ’94 firm in Manduria (Ta), as growing media components on Aloe vera (L.) plants. A one year trial was conducted in a conditioned greenhouse located in the Campus of the Faculty of Agriculture of Bari (Italy). Substrata containing 30% of inert substances in any case and increasing doses of compost (0, 30, 50, 70%) have been compared; the fulfilment at 100 of volume, if necessary, has been reached adding peat quantities to the mixture. The growing density was of 6 p m-2 for a total of 98 plants. The cultivation lasted 338 days; plants never showed any symptoms of water stress. The results were statistically analyzed. Chemical and physical properties of growing media were analyzed; plant vegetative growth, was determined 180 days after transplanting and at 338 days. The obtained results pointed out that the plants growth dramatically depends on the compost percentages. The composts used in the preparation of substrates were not phytotoxic and allowed the plants to grow disease-free and with no weeds. Due to their physical and chemical characteristics the composts prepared from urban park and garden wastes and from solid fractions of olive mill wastes may be considered as partial peat substitutes.