Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
New West Genetics will double industrial hemp grain yields and improve fiber quality by commercializing existing genetics intellectual property. By doing so, hemp will become an economically viable new rotation crop for American farmers that provides manufacturers and consumers with healthy new protein and lipid ingredient options. The intellectual property centers around a genetic factor which, when used as a sire in a cross, skews the proportion of female plants in a hemp population from the traditional dioecious norm of 50%, to a level of 90% or greater in the F1 generation. This inherently increases grain yield since male plants make only pollen. Additional yield increases are expected from heterosis; thus we refer to the F1 seed as Amplify. Further, we have identified specific crosses where the F1 is 100% female plants which paves the way to a scalable hybrid seed production system such as the CMS/Rf system used in other major crops. To make this a reality, we are proposing the following objectives: 1) Demonstrate that the technology can create Amplify consistently above 90% females, 2) Demonstrate the ability to generate Amplify seed which significantly improves grain yield and fiber quality relative to existing check varieties, 3) Identifying new methods for cost-effectively producing Amplify planting seed, and 4) Examining the carbon index of hemp relative to other commodity crops.
Animal Health Component
50%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
20%
Applied
50%
Developmental
30%
Goals / Objectives
a) Demonstrating that the technology can create Amplify consistently above 90% females. We will further test the technology's ability to produce Amplify seed at scale. Based on past results, the percentage of females in a given Amplify population varies dependent upon the genotype used as the female. This is analogous to specific combining ability (SCA) in other hybrid crops. Identification of genotypes more easily skewed towards higher proportions of females will guide the choice of female genotypes used in Phase II commercial scale-up. Genotypes consistently skewed to 100% will be examined further to understand the molecular basis of this tendency. The goal is to identify combinations that reliably create 100% female plants. Several have been identified already. This is analogous to the CMS system used in other hybrid crops and will pave the way for the most cost-effective production of Amplify. We also expect to identify heterotic groups which will facilitate future breeding efforts. Identification of such groups has been critical to modern maize hybrid breedingand will accelerate development of improved Amplify genotypes in our program.b) Demonstrating the ability to generate Amplify seed which significantly improves grain yield and fiber quality relative to existing check varieties. Our results to date provide strong support for the hypothesis that a greater proportion females leads to higher yields. In addition, certain hybrid combinations show substantial better parent heterosis. To fully exploit both genetic improvements, we will expand testing of Amplify genotypes using replicated plot trials grown across multiple locations. Grain yield and fiber quality results will identify the highest performing Amplify genotypes, thus informing which genotypes to produce during Phase II efforts.c) Identifying new methods for cost-effectively producing Amplify planting seed. We will test several agronomic and genetic methods for producing Amplify seed at larger scale in order to provide guidance for practices to be used at a larger scale during Phase II production. Yield and quality data from the plot trials (item b) will be used in models to calculate the extent to which the expected improvements in yield and quality translate to gross returns for farmers. The calculations will include varying price points for the harvested product at the farmgate and how they can lower processor costs because of lower field production costs. Identification of Amplify genotypes with yield and economic parity to soy will confirm hemp's benefit to US farmers.d) Examining the carbon index of hemp relative to other commodity crops. We will work closely with experts in crop Life Cycle Analysis to understand the carbon footprint and potential benefits of hemp production. The lower inputs required to produce hemp along with its large root system and potential to use the stalk byproduct in multitude other applications position it as a climate-smart crop.
Project Methods
Amplify hybrid testcross production in 2021 was managed like small-plot yield trials, with each plot consisting of two rows measuring 5.6 meters in length on a 0.76 m row spacing. Female plots were planted alongside the inducer genotype at a ratio of approximately 80% females and 20% inducer. Males were rogued from the intended female plots every second or third day to eliminate any pollen except that of the inducer. Plots were harvested at physiological seed maturity, which varied considerably due to genetic variation in flowering/maturity times among female genotypes. Seed was threshed and cleaned by hand. In 2022 and 2023, 16 Amplify genotypes were produced using the same general methodology as described above. The only modification is the design was more representative of a commercial seed production scheme in that genotypes were planted in full rows, rather than in a plot format, and harvest was performed using a mechanical swather and combine. The male (pollen producing) genotype was planted at approximately 14% of the total field. The seed produced over the past few years will be used in the following assessments of performance.Demonstrate the ability of the technology to create Amplify consistently above 90% females. Quantifying percentage of females and stability of % females. Amplify seed will be sown into 18-well inserts filled with Pro-Mix HP potting soil. Greenhouse supplemental lighting will be set to 16-hour daylength with temperatures maintained at 20-30 degrees C. Plants will be scored at the initiation of flowering for sex: male, female or hermaphrodite. Further, we will assess the percentage of females for each Amplify genotype as they are trialed across a diverse set of trialing locations.Examination of relationship between lineage and field performance. The current Amplify genotypes were created using dioecious genotypes representing eight pedigrees, including germplasm originating from Canada, China, France and varieties created by New West Genetics (NWG). These genotypes are only a small subset of the diversity in our breeding pool but they generally represent standing genetic diversity. We will compare yield and fiber quality data among Amplify genotypes to look for trends between group membership and performance. Amplify parents will be included in the 2024 trials (explained below) so that heterosis relative to the Amplify parents can be calculated.Demonstrate the yield advantages of Amplify by testing in replicated yield trials across geographically distinct locations. Performance of existing Amplify genotypes will be assessed in trials conducted by NWG in Colorado along with sites managed by cooperators located outside of Colorado. NWG has worked with the proposed cooperators but this will be the most extensive trialing of Amplify thus far. Data will be collected on emergence/stand count, days to flower, percentage of female plants, days to maturity, height, fiber yield and grain yield/quality (fatty acid profile, percentage protein and oil).The experimental design for CO trials will be completely randomized complete blocks with three replications of each genotype. We will also include 5 dioecious genotypes (NWG 2463, NWG 2730, NWG 4000, NWG 4113, X-59) planted from certified seed as checks. Thus, each experimental trial site will consist of 90 plots (30 genotypes x 3 plots). Each plot will measure 11.2 meters in length by 0.76 m row in width. Any rows next to an alleyway will be excluded from data analysis to avoid edge effect. Plots will be swathed at full maturity using a tractor mounted swather and harvested using a plot combine with a pickup header to measure grain yields. A block of dioecious checks and high stalk yielding Amplify plots will be left to ret at two locations so that stalks can be collected to estimate yields and provide material for quality testing with collaborators. Dioecious checks will be excluded from one site in order to confirm that 5 to 10% males provide pollen sufficient for grain fill. Data will be analyzed using mixed model analysis in R (R Core Team, 2021). Replications within trials will be treated as random effects and genotypes will be treated as fixed effects. Comparisons of genotype means will be made from Least Significant Difference estimates when the F-test is considered significant (p < 0.10). Locations with a coefficient of variation greater than 20% will be removed. Collaborator experimental design will be performed similar to that described above but within the constraints of the equipment/facilities available.Identifying new methods for cost-effectively producing Amplify planting seed. We have demonstrated that seed set and yields of F1 seed are good in production scenarios with 14% of the field planted with the male pollinator. While this is similar to other hybrid crops, hemp is anemophilous due to its extraordinarily small pollen grains which have been shown to disperse long distances. We will test the following treatments on production fields to find the lowest planting rate of male genotype with maximal seed yield: 15%, 10%, 5% and 1%. In essence, we will plant larger blocks (consecutive female genotype rows) to see the inflection point at which the plants in the middle blocks begin to show reduced seed set and yield. Based on current seed production cost estimates, reducing male presence from 14% to 1% would lower cost by approximately $0.50/lb, a 10% reduction. We will also expand the use of 100% female populations in hybrid seed production. We have made small-scale quantities of hybrids from 100% female genotypes in greenhouses and small plots. 2023 yield trials have not been harvested at the time of this submission, but observations of hybrids made using genetically 100% female genotypes look promising. Hybrids made using this method will be tested more thoroughly as part of the 2024 trialing plan outlined above. We will also make larger quantities of seed using this method in 2024 using USDA SBIR funding to understand its economic, biologic and agronomic impacts. We will specifically look to answer these questions: 1) Economics: how much less rogueing is required and how does that impact cost of seed production?; 2) Biology: do female populations revert to monoecy as pollen availability declines?; 3) Agronomy: how much does a higher final stand (due to minimal rogueing) impact weed control and, thus, overall quality of the harvested seed?Examining the carbon index of hemp relative to other commodity crops. NWG will provide estimates for agronomy and genetics parameters (yield, fertilizer, fuel, etc.) in Life Cycle analysis models to understand the carbon intensity of hemp production relative to other crops. The higher yields, vigor and extensive root system of hybrid hemp, along with the many uses of the stalk byproduct, make NWG hemp a candidate to stand alone as a climate-smart new crop.