Evaluation of germplasm of Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis)

Abstract

Aloe barbadensis (2n = 14) is important medicinal plants of India belong to the family Liliaceae. Because of its huge demand and vast utility, it is widely collected indiscriminately from the wild source and thus this species is becoming commercially threatened due to over and destructive harvesting from natural sources. The commercial cultivation is not popular among the farming community due to lack of technical knowledge on genuine type of Aloe Vera and its package of practices. Though there is much diversity in Aloe Vera, the cultivators unable to choose the best ecotype genetically differentiated sub-population that is restricted to a specific habitat for commercial cultivation. However, the main bottleneck faced by farmers is lack of quality planting material. Hence, the present study was carried out.