Investigation of the Reasons for the Unique Growth and Development of Agave Species (Agave sisalana and Agave americana) Crop Plants at the Southern, Central, North Western and Eastern Parts of Tigray, Ethiopia

摘要

Composite topsoil samples from 16 study sites were taken and then their physical as well as chemical attributes were determined at the National Soil Testing Center (NSTC). Moreover, plant attributes such as Leaf Length (LL), Leaf Biomass (LB), Fiber Length (FL) and Tensile Strength (TS) were measured. Data analysis was carried out using JMP5 (version 5.0) and SPSS (version 12.0) statistical softwares. The one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for Leaf Length (LL), Leaf Biomass (LB), and Tensile Strength (TS) showed statistical significance with respect to the study sites ( p0.05) with respect of blocks. On the other hand, the one way ANOVA for both soil chemical and physical attributes with respect to blocks found statistically insignificant (p>0.05). The rainfall, sunshine, and temperature situations as well as the soil chemical and physical attributes being inline with the requirements of Agave species could be reasons for the unique growth and development of A. americana and A. sisalana crop plants in the study area.