Agave, better known as the tequila plant, could be the driver for a new bio-fuel industry.
It’s a type of succulent with large fleshy leaves: the juice is fermented to make the Mexican liquor and the fibre is also used to produce sisal for ropes and carpets.
But a trial plantation near Ayr in north Queensland is examining the plant as a source material for bio fuel production.
Dr Joe Holtham, from James Cook University, says one of the major challenges has been developing the right farming practices for growing the plant in the dry tropic climate.
“We have to improve our spacing, we have to think about what are possible inter-row crops, there are lots of little agronomic things that we have to figure out,” he said.
“But so far what’s surprising me is they’re growing so well, so easily with so little effort.”
