Progress 07/01/24 to 02/28/25
Outputs Target Audience:The target audience is farmers and processors. We arehighlighting the grain yield and performance advantages of our Amplify hybrid hemp varieties and how they put hemp production economics on par with other major oilseeds.We have identified two main customer profiles, described in the following examples: 1) Growers: Leon is a third generation Iowa grower of organic alfalfa and corn. He is young and wants to reinvigorate his family farm. He has recently added sorghum and rye to his crop rotations and would like to add hemp due to his interest in both grain and fiber. Leon was uncertain where to turn for quality genetics. He reached out to a local hemp industry association, who referred him to NWG. Upon first meeting, NWG asked many questions, then described their seed options, the value of their seed, and explained the agronomic support package. NWG suggests Leon try a small plot, using a dual-purpose variety that would suit his growing region. Leon purchases 20 acres worth of seed. Throughout the season, NWG and Leon held meetings at crucial stages of production to discuss Leon's questions. NWG traveled to his farm to lend additional support, including harvest and post-harvest processing. 2) Manufacturers: A processing company wants to add hemp products to their portfolio. They are feeling consumer pressure to offer products that are US sourced, non-soy, non-GMO, and have a differentiated nutrition/fiber/cannabinoid profile. They are referred to NWG through a hemp industry insiders, Ag Tech VCs, or Ag accelerators they are supporting members of. They are cautious, more cautious than growers, and ask many questions. They frequently request NWG manage the supply chain from genetics to the raw materials. Those outside of the hemp industry would prefer NWG to leverage their network of experience and reliable growers to contract crop production, then deliver it to their door. Changes/Problems:The biggest problem we encountered were the non-significant results at 2 of our trial locations (MT and MB).This is an unfortunate reality of field trialing where the environment often overrides the effect of genetics. Commercial breeding programs of corn, soybean and other major commodities run trials at dozens, hundreds or even thousands of locations because they expect data to be uninformative at a large percentage of them. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We participated in a hemp Field Day at the University of Illinois on 2 August 2024 (Hemp Research - Lee Laba) to describe our USDA-SBIR funded trial and the technology driving it.We also hosted a tour of our trial conducted at Colorado State (ARDEC) on 7 August 2024 as part of the 2024 Cannabis Research Conference held in Fort Colllins, CO.Agronomists and scientists from many disciplines were in attendance t both events which generated lots of good questions and helped the professional community better understand the benefits and potential offered by gendered skewed hybrid hemp. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We have focused our dissemination efforts on Field Days and a very active social media presence, highlighting the benefits and potential of hybrid hemp. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1. Demonstrating that the technology can create Amplify consistently above 90% females.AMPLIFY hybrid production in 2021-2023 was planted in traditional hybrid design with female (pollen recipient) interspersed with inducer genotype at a ratio of approximately 80% females and 20% inducer. Males were rogued from the intended femals every 2-3 days to eliminate any pollen except that of the inducer. Can we create Amplify seed in the field at larger scale?Yes.AMPLIFY seed lots were grown in greenhouses with supplemental lighting. Plants were scored for sex at flowering.Over 4 years of seed production, we averaged 98.85% female plants across a total of 62 hybrid crosses (Figure). 56% of crosses achieved 100% female plants providing strong evidence that a hybrid seed production system using 100% female populations (akin to CMS or NMS systems in other species) is feasible. Can we predict which genotypes will skew to higher percentages of female plants?Yes, but more research is needed. In crosses with <100% female plants, we suspect the few male plants were due to outcrossing from stray males (e.g. those missed during rogueing dioecious plots). Agronomic practices to facilitate effective rogueing were identified and implemented. Which genetic backgrounds create the highest performing Amplify genotypes?We have identified a heterotic pattern between the current inducer and crosses with female genotypes originating from "high CBD" genetics which averaged 161% grain yield relative to Open-Pollinated (OP) checks. Testcrosses using genotypes derived from our founder population (non "high-CBD") yielded 123% of the OP check, a highly significant result (p = 0.001). Objective 2. Quantifying Amplify grain and fiber yield relative to existing check varieties. Performance of 30 AMPLIFY hybrids were assessed in trials conducted by NWG at the Colorado State University Agriculture Research & Demonstration site, The University of Illinois, Range & Row, LLC (Great Falls, MT) and Ag-Quest, LLC (Minto, MB). These sites represent distinct climates and soils. Due to the large differences in latitude, hybrids were selected which maximized their likelihood for success based on their adaptation. This was essential becauseC. sativais highly responsive to daylength and later flowering genotypes can become too tall for harvest. Thus, we trialed 21 AMPLIFY hybrids at ARDEC and UIL adapted to ~ 40' North. We trialed 5 and 8 AMPLIFY hybrids at Range & Row and Ag-Quest, respectively, adapted to ~ 48' North. Do Amplify genotypes have improved yield and performance, relative to known dioecious varieties?Yes.The average hemp yield was 2,181 pounds/acre at ARDEC and 2,062 pounds/acre at UIL. The Coefficients of Variation (CV) indicate respectable uniformity at 20.0% and 20.9%, respectively. The highest and lowest yielding hybrids differed by a factor of 3X (1,107 lbs/ac versus 3,386 lbs/ac). The 21 hybrids trialed at ARDEC and the University of Illinois demonstrated significant improvements in grain yield relative to OP check varieties, with one hybrid reaching 207% and a maximum estimated yield of 3,386 pounds/acre. Overall, the results across locations were in agreement (r = 0.779). Unfortunately, the trials conducted at Range & Row, LLC and Ag-Quest Holdings, LLC were both inconclusive. Although the trial conducted by Range & Row, LLC was under pivot irrigation, only 7" of water was available which was not sufficient for the full season needs of the crop. The majority of these 7" were applied in July (5.5"). This left only 1.5" during the grain fill in August, an insufficient amount during the most critical period of grain development in a season that only produced 2.4" of rainfall during July and August. This moisture limitation, along with unprecedented bird feeding, led to a high CV (42.9) with no significant differences in yield among genotypes. The trial at and Ag-Quest Holdings, LLC produced no significant differences among genotypes, likely due to seed loss from a large wind storm prior to harvest. Objective 3. Identifying new methods for cost-effectively producing Amplify planting seed. In 2024, we tested the following treatments to explore how low the male inducer planting rate could go while still maximizing seed yield: 12.5%, 10% and 4.5%. We accomplished this by planting increasingly larger bays of the female genotype, thus increasing the distance of females in the middle of the bay from male pollen to 17.5', 22.5' and 55'. Can we produce Amplify cost effectively?Yes.The current method of hybrid seed production is costineffectivedue to the labor required for rogueing male (XY) plants. However, our results from 2024 suggest a path to affordable seed production: Lowering the ratio of a seed production field planted with the male inducer increases the harvested area of female carrying F1 seed.In our experiment testing seed yields of females produced with increasing distance from the male inducer pollen source, we estimated net yields of 2,807 lbs/ac, 3,146 lbs/ac and 3,533 lbs/ac at the 17.5', 22.5' and 55' distance treatments, respectively, and insignificantly different from one another. Thus, we are confident that no more than 4.5% male inducer is required for adequate pollination. This simple increase in seed producing plants translates to a 36% increase in yield per gross acre and a 25% reduction in the seed cost. Using 100% female populations as pollen recipients in hybrid seed production will work.Our production trials using multiple A-line genotypes demonstrate that this approach can work for scaling hybrid seed production. Economics: how much less rogueing is required and how does that impact cost of seed production?Our estimates from 2024 suggest that A-lines can reduce rogueing hours from 389 hours/acre to 20 hours/acre, a reduction of 95%. This results in a 64% reduction in the cost of seed on a per pound basis and, more importantly, makes large-scale production far more realistic. Biology: do female populations revert to monoecy as pollen availability declines?Yes, some genotypes produced male flowers on plants with otherwise female phenotypes. We saw up to 40% plants showing this phenomenon but, in most cases, the number of male flowers and strength of pollen production was low. Agronomy: how much does a higher final stand (due to minimal rogueing) impact weed control and, thus, overall quality of the harvested seed?We did not quantify this, but the anecdotal answer is that the higher populations increased the crop's ability to compete with weeds through better uniformity and agronomy. Objective 4. Examining the carbon intensity of hemp relative to other commodity crops. What is the Carbon Intensity (CI) of hemp?The CI (g/MJ) of hemp is estimated to average 21.84, better than alternative oilseed crops such as soybean, Brassica carinata, canola and camelina. We contracted Trinity Consultants (https://www.trinityconsultants.com/) to perform an analysis of the CI of hemp using the TheGreenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) model, a tool that evaluates the life-cycle impacts of vehicle technologies, fuels, products, and energy systems. It is a transparent system for examining energy and environmental effects of energy and product systems. Since hemp is not a default feedstock in Argonne GREET, Trinity Consultants parameters for soy feedstock based on inputs to represent AMPLIFY hybrid hemp. Soy was chosen as a proxy for modeling because it most closely represents hemp compared to the other GREET feedstock options. The inputs that were updated are compared to soy defaults, including updates to energy used for farming (less herbicide = more mechanical weed control), fertilizer (~10-20X higher because hemp is not a Nitrogen fixing plant), and pesticide use. All other data assumptions within GREET were left as defaults.
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