Source: UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI submitted to NRP
INDUSTRIAL HEMP: REVIVING AN ANCIENT CROP FOR HIGHER SEED AND FIBER PRODUCTION
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
AFRI COMPETITIVE GRANT
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1030686
Grant No.
2023-67023-40292
Cumulative Award Amt.
$649,006.00
Proposal No.
2022-10347
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Jun 1, 2023
Project End Date
May 31, 2028
Grant Year
2023
Program Code
[A1601]- Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities: Small and Medium-Sized Farms
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI
(N/A)
COLUMBIA,MO 65211
Performing Department
School of Natural Resources
Non Technical Summary
Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) production has grown exponentially since the passing of the Agricultural Act of 2014, Public Law 113-79 (the 2014 Farm Bill). In Missouri, the signing of the Farm Bill on December 20, 2018, removed industrial hemp from the Controlled Substances Act, and allowed farmers to grow the crop. The Missouri Industrial Hemp Program operates under the authority of Missouri Senate Bill 133 which was signed in 2019. In Missouri, Industrial hemp production practices are adopted from research conducted in Kentucky which is not validated in Missouri. Industrial hemp production in Missouri is in dire need of state-specific agronomic recommendations including site and variety selection, soil nutrient considerations, planting timings, seeding rates and depths, pest management and harvesting management. Therefore, overall goal of this project is to carry out extensive testing of production practices of industrial hemp through multi-location testing in different agro-climatic regions of Missouri. The specific objectives of research are to: (1) develop agronomic recommendations for greater biomass and seed production through multilocation variety testing; (2) evaluate nitrogen fertilizer rate response of industrial hemp varieties that meet compliance of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) levels; (3) develop recommendations for using harvest-aids to facilitate the timely harvest of seed and fiber and; and (4) deliver education materials generated through this project on agronomic management and economic returns of industrial hemp to industry agronomists, growers, crop consultants, researchers, and other stakeholders. The educational materials developed through this project will include print/written media, videos, presentation at farmer's and industry events, hemp production manual. Results from this project will help hemp farmers in selection and planting of suitable hemp cultivar and application of optimum nitrogen fertilizer application rate, that will increase the hemp fiber and yield quality as well as economic returns.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
100%
Applied
0%
Developmental
0%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
20517303100100%
Knowledge Area
205 - Plant Management Systems;

Subject Of Investigation
1730 - Hemp;

Field Of Science
3100 - Management;
Goals / Objectives
Overall goal of this project is to carry out extensive testing of production practices of industrial hemp through multi-location testing in different agro-climatic regions of Missouri.The specific objectives of research proposal areoutlined as:(1) develop agronomic recommendations for greater biomass and seed production through multilocation variety testing;(2) evaluate nitrogen fertilizer rate response of industrial hemp varietiesthat meet compliance of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) levels;(3) develop recommendations for usingharvest-aids to facilitate the timely harvest of seed and fiber and;(4) deliver education materialsgenerated through this project on agronomic management and economic returns of industrial hempto industry agronomists, growers, crop consultants, researchers, and other stakeholders.
Project Methods
This research will be conducted in three phases:phase-I will be extensive multilocation variety testing, phase-II will be nitrogen fertilizer rate experiments for the most promising varieties selected in phase-I and phase-III will focus on usingharvest-aid for improving harvest efficiency.The first objective will be addressed by setting up multi-location trials for variety testing conducted for three years throughout the state of Missouri. The experimental setup will be a randomized complete block design with four replications on well-drained soils. Data collection will include soil sampling for baseline soil fertility analysis, plant density, biomass yield, grain yield, fiber, and seed quality.The second objective will evaluate nitrogen fertilizer rate response of industrial hemp cultivars that meet compliance of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and other cannabinoid levels. This research will be conducted on a well-drained silt loam to clay loam soil under dryland conditions using a randomized complete block design with split-plot arrangement of treatments and four replications. The hemp cultivars will be the main plot and nitrogen fertilizer rates (40, 80, 120, 160 lb N ac-1 and 0 lb N ac-1 as control) as the sub-plot. Data will be collected for plant emergence, plant population, plant height, days to flowering and maturity, biomass production, seed yield and quality, nutrient uptake. Nitrogen response curves will be developed for industrial hemp cultivars for fiber and seed yield.The third objective will include developing recommendations for using harvest-aids to facilitate timely harvest of seed and fiber for industrial hemp production. This research will be conducted for two years at one location in Missouri. Four industrial hemp cultivars two for fiber production and two for dual-purpose will be selected for developing optimum timing for using a desiccant. The experiment will be a split-plot design with four replications. Agronomic data will be collected for plant population and plant height before applying the desiccant treatments. Diquat will be used as a desiccant which will be applied using a spray drone having a capacity of 5 gallons. The days to desiccate all leaves will be recorded. Biomass and seed yield will be collected 5-10 days after each treatment application. Seed yield will be collected using a plot combine. Grain samples will be collected for determining seed quality, seed germination, viability, and seed damage ratings.Objective 4 will include delivering education materials generated through this project on agronomicmanagement and economic returns of industrial hemp to stakeholders through extension programs. Web-based hemp production manuals will be developed using the published data from existing published resources coupled with results generated from this project. The agronomic production recommendation manual will include information on the selection of industrial hemp cultivars, seedbed preparation, soil fertility and nutrient management, equipment considerations, planting, cultivation, pest management, harvest, post-harvest field management, crop rotation and economic considerations. The dissemination of agronomic production manuals, designed and directed toward hemp producers and stakeholders, will play an essential role in developing an alternate crop for food, feed, and fiber security. The manuals will instruct producers and stakeholders on how to increase yield and net returns for hemp production. The manuals will be available on a project-specific webpage hosted by the University of Missouri.All data will be subjected to normality analysis in statistical software and data transformations will follow as needed for the analysis. Statistical significance will be measured at P ≤ 0.05. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients will be calculated using the CORR procedure in statistical software to describe the relationship among all variables measured. Data in objective 2 will be analyzed for normality in statistical software and wherever needed data transformations will be applied. Mixed models will be used to assess the effects of nitrogen fertilizer rates on yield parameters. Nitrogen use efficiencies curves and agronomic optimum nitrogen rate response curves will be developed from this dataset. An analysis of the variance test for objective 3 will be conducted using a GLIMMIX procedure in the SAS software. Mean comparisons will be conducted by Fisher's protected least significant difference (LSD) test at P≤ 0.05.Actively communicating results from these experiments is very important to the success of this project. The project team will utilize the following approaches to disseminate deliverables developed through this project: 1) Field Days at research site locations, (2) Presentations at the farmer and industry events, (3) Print/Written Media including Industrial hemp agronomic production manuals and fact sheets, (4) Digital Media such as video clips and webinars, (5) Project website: A project website will be developed and designed to create an outlet to showcase the materials developed from this project.

Progress 06/01/24 to 05/31/25

Outputs
Target Audience:The research results were presented at the farmer field day, academic conferences, and symposiums. Details are provided below. Target audience: students (undergraduate and graduate), farmers, researchers, extension specialists, industry personnel, federal andstate agencies (USDA, NRCS, MO Department of Agriculture, Department of Natural Resources), and financial institutions. Presentations: Professional: Nain, A., Kaur, G., Nelson, K.A., & Singh, G. (2025, May 9). Industrial hemp response to nitrogen applications in Missouri. University of Missouri School of Natural Resources Research Day, Columbia, MO. Nain, A., Kaur, G., Nelson, K.A., & Singh, G. (2025, April 23). Industrial hemp response to nitrogen applications in Missouri. University of Missouri Graduate Professional Council Conference, Columbia, MO. Nain, A., Kaur, G., Nelson, K. A., Singh, G., & Miller, J. (2024, November 20-21). Industrial hemp response to nitrogen applications. 54th North Central Extension-Industry Soil Fertility Conference, Des Moines, IA. Nain, A., Kaur, G., Singh, G., Nelson, K. A., Calhoun, J., & Bish, M. (2024, November 10-13). Cultivar and nitrogen application effects on industrial hemp production in Missouri. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX. https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2024am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/158508 Nain, A., Kaur, G., Nelson, K. A., Bish, M., Calhaun, J., Miller, J., & Singh, G. (2024, October 1). Multilocation variety testing for industrial hemp production in Missouri. 4th CAFNR Research Symposium, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO. Extension: SIngh, G., & Nain, A. (2024). Industrial hemp production. Hundley Whaley Extension and Education Center Youth Ag Science Day =, Albany, MO (Attendees: 620) Nelson, K.A., Nain, A., Kaur, G., Singh, G., Miller, J., Bish, M., & Calhoun, J. (2025, January 21). Industrial hemp production update. Midwest Crops Conference. St. Joe, MO (125 attendees) Kaur, G., & A. Nain. (2024, August 1). Industrial hemp production and Flooded soybeans in Missouri. Northern Missouri Research, Extension, & Education Center Field Day, Novelty, MO. (Attendees=140) Publications Milhoin, R., Tsay, J.H., Kientzy, D., & Kaur, G. (2024). Industrial Hemp for fiber planning budget. University of Missouri Extension Publication No. G669. https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g669 Nain, A., Kaur, G., Singh, G., Nelson, K.A., Calhoun, J., Bish, M., & Miller, J. (2024). Multilocation cultivar testing for industrial hemp production in Missouri. Northern Missouri Research, Extension, & Education Center Field Day Annual Report 2024, Volume 3. University of Missouri Extension Publication No. SR606. Pp. 49-51 https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/sr606 Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Industrial hemp is a new, reemerging crop in the state. A graduate student is currently trained in industrial hemp production. This project is her thesis research work for her MS degree. Additionally, 7 other graduate students and 4 research interns or fellows in our research group in 2024 learned about industrial hemp production, planting,harvesting, and management. We also presented some work from this project at the Youth Ag Science Day at the University of Missouri, Hundley-Whaley Extension and Research Center in Albany, MO (620 attendees). This event helps us educate young high school students about industrial hemp production and its uses. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Yes, the results have been disseminated to communities through presentations and extension-type publications at the field days, conferences, symposiums, and extension meetings. The details on this were provided in the previous section. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the next reporting period, we will be continuing the research as scheduled for each objective.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1. 2024 was the second year of the field trial for objective 2. The industrial hemp cultivars were tested across five locations as per theproject plan. Heavy rainfall events and saturated soils resulted in replanting of trails at all locations. However, even with replanting, the crop had poor emergence and growth at two locations out of five. Industrial hemp is highly sensitive to saturated conditions. The trial is currently repeated this year also. All locations are planted for 2025 except two locations in northwest Missouri. Rainfall events and wet soils have limited us to plant crops at both locations. We are planning to plant these location next week. Objective 2. We started this objective last year at two locations- Novelty and Albany. Our results have shown that industrial hemp varieties have shown different responses to N applications. Signficant response was found at one out of two locations. Data from this objective was presented conferences and symposium by the graduate student. Objective 3. This objective is not yet started. We will be conducting these trials next year. Objective 4. Multiple reports and presnetations were done as per of this objective.. The detials are provided in the previous section.

Publications


    Progress 06/01/23 to 05/31/24

    Outputs
    Target Audience: The research trial results were presented at the American Society of Agronomy-Crop Science Society of America-Soil Science Society of America Conference in St. Louis MO (Oct. 30- Nov. 1, 2023). Kaur, G., Nelson, K. A., & Singh, G. 2023. Hemp production in Missouri. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, St. Louis, MO. https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2023am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/152382 Target Audience: Researchers, industry personnel, students (undergraduate, graduate), federal/state agencies (USDA-ARS, NRCS etc) 2. Research plots were also shown to High School Students and teachers at the Greenley Research Farm in 2023. The University of Missouri Greenley Research Farm hosts High School student field day annually for 4-5 school districts of northern Missouri. Students were educated about industrial hemp research, its uses, and potential benefits. Target audience: 300 high school students and teachers 3. Research plots were also shown at the Farmer Field Day organized annually at the Greenley Research Farm, near Novelty, MO (August 3, 2023). Target audience: farmers, researchers, extension specialists, industry personnel, federal and state agencies (USDA, NRCS, MO Department of Agriculture, Department of Natural Resources), financial institutions. Changes/Problems:No major changes. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Graduate students are trained in industrial hemp production. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Yes. Results were presented at the field days and conference. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The research trials will be conducted and results will be shared with stakeholders at field days (extension) or professional conferences. Objective 1 study will be repeated for 2 more years. Objective 2 and 3 studies will be started in yr 3 and 4 of the project. Issues found during the 2023 growing period were seed shortage for planting and flooding./waterlogging in the fields. In case of a seed shortage, we will use the lower seeding rate. Since we are comparing varieties, keeping the seeding rate the same across all treatments will not impact the results. We will select the fields that are less susceptible to waterlogging issues; however, extreme precipitation events can still damage the crop.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1. In 2023, variety trials were conducted at the five locations. The trials will be repeated for two more years. Recommendations will be provided after 3 years of testing. Objective 2 & 3. These trials will be started in 2025 and 2026. Objective 4,. The results were presented at the ASA-CSSA-SSSA conference in 2023 and at field days held at the Greenley Research Farm, Novelty, MO

    Publications

    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Published Abstracts/ Poster Presentations Kaur, G., Nelson, K. A., & Singh, G. 2023. Hemp production in Missouri. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, St. Louis, MO. Oct. 30- Nov. 1, 2023. https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2023am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/152382 Field Day Talks Kaur, G. 2023. Industrial hemp production in Missouri. Northern Missouri Research, Extension, & Education Center Field Day. Novelty, MO. August 3, 2023