Sisal (, Spanish: [siˈsal]; Agave sisalana) is a species of flowering plant native to southern Mexico, but widely cultivated and naturalized in many other countries. It yields a stiff leaf fiber used in making rope and various other products. The sisal fiber is traditionally used for rope and twine, and has many other uses, including cloth, footwear, hats, bags, carpets, geotextiles, and dartboards. It is also used as fiber reinforcements for composite fiberglass, rubber, and concrete products. Like other agaves, the pith of the leaves can be fermented and distilled to make mezcal. Sisal has an uncertain native origin, but is thought to have originated in the Mexican state of Chiapas. Historically, sisal was used by the Aztecs and Maya for a crude fabric. It spread to other parts of the world in the 19th century, with Brazil becoming the major producer. Global sisal production in 2020 was 210,000 tons, with Brazil being the largest producer, followed by Tanzania, Kenya, Madagascar, China, and Mexico. Sisal is a tropical and subtropical plant, thriving in temperatures above 25 °C (77 °F) and sunshine. It is propagated using bulbils or suckers and can be improved genetically through tissue culture. Sisal plants have a lifespan of 7–10 years, producing 200–250 usable leaves containing fibers used in various applications. Fibers are extracted by crushing the leaves and are then dried, brushed, and baled for export. Sisal farming initially led to environmental degradation, but it is now considered less damaging than other farming types. Sisal is an invasive species in Hawaii and Florida.
Taxonomy The native origin of Agave sisalana is uncertain. Traditionally, it was deemed to be a native of the Yucatán Peninsula, but no records exist of botanical collections from there. They were originally shipped from the Spanish colonial port of Sisal in Yucatán (thus the name). The Yucatán plantations now cultivate henequen (Agave fourcroydes). H. S. Gentry hypothesized a Chiapas origin, on the strength of traditional local usage. Evidence of an indigenous cottage industry there suggests it as the original habitat location, possibly as a cross of Agave angustifolia and Agave kewensis. The species is now naturalized in other parts of Mexico, as well as in Spain, the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Madagascar, Réunion, Seychelles, many parts of Africa, China, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Burma, Cambodia, Thailand, the Solomon Islands, Queensland, Fiji, Hawaii, Florida, Central America, Ecuador, and the West Indies.
Plant description Sisal plants consist of a rosette of sword-shaped leaves about 1.5 to 2 m (4 ft 11 in to 6 ft 7 in) tall. Young leaves may have a few minute teeth along their margins, but lose them as they mature. The sisal plant has a 7- to 10-year lifespan and typically produces 200–250 commercially usable leaves. Each leaf contains around 1000 fibers. The fibers account for only about 4% of the plant by weight. Sisal is considered a plant of the tropics and subtropics, since production benefits from temperatures above 25 °C (77 °F) and sunshine.
Cultivation Sisal was used by the Aztecs and the Maya to make a fabric. In the 19th century, sisal cultivation spread to Florida, the Caribbean islands, and Brazil (Paraiba and Bahia), as well as to countries in Africa, notably Tanzania and Kenya, and Asia. Sisal reportedly "came to Africa from Florida, through the mechanism of a remarkable German botanist, by the name of Hindorf." In Cuba its cultivation was introduced in 1880 by Fernando Heydrich in Matanzas. The first commercial plantings in Brazil were made in the late 1930s, and the first sisal fiber exports from there were made in 1948. Brazilian production did not accelerate until the 1960s, and the first of many spinning mills was established. Today, Brazil is the major world producer of sisal.
Propagation Propagation of sisal is generally by using bulbils produced from buds in the flower stalk or by suckers growing around the base of the plant, which are grown in nursery fields until large enough to be transplanted to their final positions. These methods offer no potential for genetic improvement. In vitro multiplication of selected genetic material using meristematic tissue culture offers considerable potential for the development of improved genetic material.
Fiber extraction Fiber is extracted by a process known as decortication, where leaves are crushed, beaten, and brushed away by a rotating wheel set with blunt knives, so that only fibers remain. Alternatively, in East Africa, where production is typically on large estates, the leaves are transported to a central decortication plant, where water is used to wash away the waste parts of the leaves. The fiber is then dried, brushed, and baled for export. Proper drying is important, as fiber quality depends largely on moisture content. Artificial drying has been found to result in generally better grades of fiber than sun drying, but is not always feasible in the less industrialized countries where sisal is produced. In the drier climate of northeast Brazil, sisal is mainly grown by smallholders and the fiber is extracted by teams using portable raspadors, which do not use water. Fiber is subsequently cleaned by brushing. Dry fibers are machine combed and sorted into various grades, largely on the basis of the previous in-field separation of leaves into size groups.
Environmental impacts Sisal farming initially caused environmental degradation, because sisal plantations replaced native forests, but is still considered less damaging than many types of farming. No chemical fertilizers are used in sisal production, and although herbicides are occasionally used, even this impact may be eliminated, since most weeding is done by hand. The effluent from the decortication process causes serious pollution when it is allowed to flow into watercourses. Sisal is considered to be an invasive species in Hawaii and Florida.
Uses
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