Aloe barbadensis Mill. Ex vitro Autotrophic Culture

Aloe plants can be grown autotrophically in a maintenance-free, sterile, ex vitro environment. Excel, 15-5-15 plus minors fertilizer formulation and Plant Preservative Medium (PPM) biocide was used as a very economical basal medium. In vitro micropropagated plantlets were regenerated in Excel media with 2 g /L sucrose and 2.2 μM 6-Benzylamino purine (BA) and used to initiate ex vitro cultures in open vessels. Ex vitro media loss due to evaporation was reduced by sealing the culture vessel around the plantlets with either parafi lm or aluminum foil and by adjusting gellan gum levels. Parafi lm and higher levels of gellan gum signifi cantly reduced ex vitro media loss but higher gellan gum levels (6 g /L or 8 g /L) also reduced plant weight gains compared to plants grown in 4 g /L gellan gum for 25 weeks after