Researchers study potential of agave crop
On a hot morning in June, dozens of agave plants took root in the soil of Madera County. The plant has long been grown in parts of Mexico to make tequila and mezcal. But in California, it’s only more recently gotten attention from Central Valley farmers seeking options as they face water shortages and the prospect of fallowing land. Researchers say agave could be a useful option for farmers with limited water supplies. The drought-resilient crop has demonstrated commercially viable yields with less than a tenth of the water usage needed for many tree crops. … Samuel Sandoval Solis, a fellow UC Davis agave researcher, said the water demands of agave are so little that researchers are looking to develop a manual for growing agave without any irrigation.
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