Sisal Information System

Sisal is a xerophytic, monocarp, semi-perennial leaf fibre producing plant.

Introduction of Sisal

Sisal is a xerophytic, monocarp, semi-perennial leaf fibre producing plant. The plant has short stem bears rosette of leaves that are sessile, linear lanceolate attains a length of 1-1.5 m or more. leaves are thick, fleshy and often covered with waxy layer.

life span of this crop is generally 10-12 years having the leaf of 1-1.2 m length and 10-16 cm width at maturity with fibre from 2-5% of green leaves. It contains typical characteristics of xerophytic plants. Planting materials should not be kept in heaps.

A healthy sisal plant produce about 200-250 leaves during its 10-12 years life span, it produces a long flowering axis called ‘pole’. As water is valuable input in arid and semi-arid regions, so drip irrigation and sisal composting gave encouraging results.

Sisal is well adapted in arid and semi-arid regions in India, mainly in Odisha, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, part of Bihar, western part of West Bengal and many southern states where the annual rainfall varies from 60-125 cm with temperature 40-45°C.

Planting material

Mature plants with pole

Growth of sisal plant is terminated with the emergence of flowering stalk known as ‘pole’. Fruits are seldom formed as flower shrivel and fall owing to the formation of an abscission layer at the top of the pedicel and therefore, setting of seeds is not common.

Sisal bulbils

Bulbils develop from tiny buds present on each flower stalk. It is a plantlet consisting of a meristem, 4-7 reduced leaves and rudimentary adventitious roots. A pole of a sisal plant may produce 400-800 or more bulbils. These bulbils develop and attain a size of 4-5 cm when they are collected during mid February to mid April and raised in nurseries.

Sisal suckers

The underground adventitious shoots that develop from the roots receive favourable condition, often come up at some distance from the parent plant above the soil surface and develop into small plants known as ‘suckers’.

Sisal suckers

Sisal is mainly propagated by vegetative means such as ‘bulbils’ and ‘suckers’. A sucker suitable for planting in the mainfield should be greater than 30 cm length, atleast 250 g weigh, has 4-5 leaves and free from any disease and/or stress.

Nursery Management

Nursery

Field view of nursery

The freshly collected bulbils are raised in nurseries with an intention to produce high quality planting materials in shortest possible time. The selected land for nursery should be well drained, fertile (with organic matter), flat as far as practicable and situated near the irrigation source. Pulverized and airy soils accelerate quick initiation of roots and root development occurs rapidly.In sisal two types of nurseries are in practice.

Primary Nursery

Planting in primary nursery

Preparatory nurseries are raised to rear fresh bulbils with intensive care and management during 3-4 summer months. The spacing should be closer to accommodate more plants in a small area and are generally spaced 10 X 7 cm in flat raised beds of 1 m width.

Planting can be done with the help of marked rope and pegs. Before planting, watering is required to create clear holes for putting bulbils in place. Bed should be weed free as far as possible to reduce unnecessary competition. The holes are made with wooden stick along the marker rope in the field and bulbils are planted in these holes up to the neck region. Both shallow and deep dibbling are avoided.

In general, N, P and K @30:15:30 kg/ha is applied in addition to organic matters. Organic and inorganic mulches showed encouraging growth of sisal in limited or non-irrigating situation. Bulbils are very much sensitive to weed competition at the early growth phase. The nurseries should be kept relatively weed free.

Secondary nursery

Planting and intercultural operation in secondary nursery

Bulbils are transferred from preparatory nursery to the main nursery. The roots of the plantlets from the primary nursery are pruned lightly and the diseased & dead leaves are removed. Bulbils are treated with Cu-fungicide before planting them into the main nursery.

Planting in main nursery is started with the onset of monsoon and completed as early as possible. A spacing of 50 x 25 cm was found better for rapid development of sisal plantlets. Every 11th row is skipped to get space facilitating weeding and other inter-cultural operation. The recommended spacing of 50 x 25 cm can accommodate 80,000 bulbils/ha of which about 72-76 thousand ultimately survive for planting in the main field.

Planting

Land preparation

Being a xerophytic and hardy crop, lands available for sisal cultivation are often sloppy, eroded and most of them are without any vegetation cover. So, it is not advisable to plough-open the whole area encouraging further erosion. Pit planting is recommended for such land situation.

Size of pits

Pit size of 1 ft3 is preferred for getting fast and uniform growth of sisal plants. Pits are dug during summer months and filled up with soil-organic matter mixture. Soil ameliorants may be used in the pits to rectify pH.

Planting method

Two methods of planting are followed. Single row planting method is conventionally practiced and is less profitable. Whereas, double row planting method has several merits including checking soil erosion, accommodates more plants/ha and gives higher yield. Rows are made across the soil slops.

Spacing

Plant density depends on nature and fertility status of soil, type of farming, investment and management capacity of the grower. The following spacings are suitable: 3 m + 1 m × 1 m (5000 plants/ha) and 3.5m + 1m x 1m spacing, which accommodates 4,400 plants per ha.

Time of Planting

Planting should be taken up with the onset of monsoon i.e., June to first fortnight of July, so that plants get sufficient time to establish well during the favourable rainy season.

Fertilizer application

Application of fertilizers should be done according to the fertility status of the soils and resources at disposal. In general, sisal growing soils are poor in fertility with acidic pH range. N, P and K fertilizers @ 60:30:60 kg/ha/year and Sisal compost/Cow dung/FYM (Depending upon availability) @ 5-10 tonnes/ha is recommended for medium fertile, normal soil condition..

Sisal at a glance

Weeding

In primary nursery two hand weeding’s required at 15 – 20 days interval. In main field weeding and bush cleaning are done during rainy season before fertilizer application in every year.Bulbils are very much sensitive to weed competition at the early growth phase.

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Harvesting

First cutting, in general, starts at 3 years crop age. However, in intensive cultivation programme with appropriate care, first harvest can start at 2 ½ years of age also. At first cutting 16 leaves and in each subsequent cutting 12 leaves are left on the plant.

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Fibre extraction

Fibre is extracted from the harvested leaves by using decorticators. Two types of decorticators are used. Raspador type decorticator redesigned at Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres (ICAR), Barrackpore, West Bengal are now widely used in India.

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Processing of the Fibres

After decortications the fibre is washed in water and then spread in thin layer on ropes or iron wires till it is adequately dry. There after the fibre is beaten with wooden round poles to remove foreign cells/materials which remain attached with fibre during extraction process.

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Yield

The average yield of sisal fibre in India is poor and does not exceed 600 kg/ha. But with proper care and attention and by using improved cultivation techniques, the fibre yield could be achieved to 1.5 t/ha. Sisal plantation can earn yearly net profit of Rs. 41.500 per ha.

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Use and utilization

Traditionally, sisal has been the leading material for agricultural twine. Apart from the ropes, twines, and general cordage, sisal is used in low-cost and specialty paper, dartboards, buffing cloth, filters, geo-textiles, mattresses, carpets, handicrafts, wire ropes cores and Macrame.

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Intercropping

Planting geometry of sisal gives an opportunity to grow different pulses and oilseed within the inter row space of sisal plantation.

Sisal-mustard intercropping

The optimum spacing for planting of sisal is 3m + 1m x 1m, which accommodates 5,000 plants per ha, but this inter row space (3m) is not enough to drive tractor for ploughing within inter row space. Recently 3.5m + 1m x 1m spacing, which accommodates 4,400 plants per ha,is practised as it makes easy to plough the space between rows with tractor for growing different intercrops. From an investigation it has found that several pulses like Green gram (Vigna radiate), Black gram (Vigna mungo), horse gram (Macrotyloma uniflorum) can successfully be grown during kharif season without irrigation and produced 5-8 quintals per ha grain yield and Rapeseed/Mustard can be grown during rabi season with lifesaving irrigation and it has synergistic effect on fibre yield of sisal.

Profitable sisal based intercropping systems

Sisal + Green gram

Sisal + Black gram

Sisal + Horse gram

Sisal + Pigeon pea

Sisal + Mustard

Plant protection measures

Zebra disease

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Description

Zebra diseases of sisal are associated with three different species of Phytophthora, viz. P. nicotianae, P. aracae and P. palmivora. Dark black, water soaked lesions appear on the leaves.

Symptoms

The older leaves touching moist soil are more susceptible to infection. It appear as small lesions on the lamina, which rapidly enlarge into alternate concentric rings with light greenish yellow margin.

Management