Performing Department
Plant Sciences
Non Technical Summary
Industrial hemp is produced for one or both of two, main harvestable components: 1) stalks and 2) seed/grain. For both grain and fiber crops, conventional production practices (i.e., tillage is utilized to form the seedbed) are followed. There is the potential to utilize a no-till production system. It should also be noted that there are no herbicide, insecticide, or fungicide costs included because they are currently not labeled for use in hemp crops and are not allowable. This is an additional production risk for potential producers to manage. Due to the gap in U.S.-based trials and other research of nearly 80 years, a multistate activity that coordinates and pools resources will provide maximum impact for the greatest number of stakeholders. This re-emerging industry has seen much stakeholder interest and some private investment but does not yet enjoy broader financial support by grower organizations or federal competitive granting programs. As with other regional crop projects, a multistate approach allows for evaluation of varieties, management practices, and costs across a wider range of soils and microclimates than would be possible by a single state's program.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
80%
Applied
20%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Agronomic practices -Determine effects on grain, fiber, or dual-purpose productivity as functions of * Cultivars - including suitability to growing conditions/regions. This entails evaluating and developing adapted, improved, monoecious cultivars for grain, fiber, dual purpose (grain + fiber), and essential oil production systems across the USA.<br />
* Soil types <br />
Suitability/adaptability to varied soil types, including disturbed and marginal soils<br />
* Establishment practices<br />
Conventional tillage vs. no-till establishment<br />
Planting date × variety interactions<br />
Planting rates (and depths) appropriate for fiber and seed crops <br />
Row spacing <br />
* Fertilization practices<br />
Application rates<br />
Application timing (especially relative to different production outcomes (grain, fiber, dual purpose (grain + fiber), and essential oil production systems)<br />
* Canopy management<br />
Utility/timing of topping during growing season to induce multiple tillering<br />
* Water use and demand<br />
Irrigation × variety interactions<br />
Evapotranspiration and water demand<br />
Timing availability effects<br />
* Insect, pathogens, and other pest management. <br />
Pest and pathogen sensitivity<br />
Efficacy of seed fungicide and insecticide treatments<br />
Effects of late-season fungicide applications on grain yield and quality<br />
Economic thresholds for insect and other pest control<br />
* Weed management<br />
Pre/post emergence herbicides for weed control<br />
Herbicide sensitivities <br />
* Harvest and handling practices<br />
Evaluate efficacy of field desiccation (e.g., using diquat or glyphosate) for grain crops <br />
Develop best practice protocols for retting both in fiber and dual purpose hemp systems<br />
Determine engineering needs for harvest, handling and processing<br />
* Suitability for crop rotations<br />
Evaluate potential for use in rotations or mixtures with other crop<br />
Measure hemp performance and weed/insect/disease incidence following corn, cotton, soybean, tobacco, forage/pasture/range/fallow <br />
Determine hemp’s effects on disease/pest cycles of other crops
Genetics- Identify genes for advanced traits of interest including * Photoperiodicity<br />
* Yield components - fibers, hurd, oil, protein, etc.<br />
* Pest and pathogen resistance <br />
* Abiotic stress (drought, cold, heat) resistance<br />
* Relatedness of existing hemp varieties and genetic diversity
Project Methods
The Wyoming Department of Agriculture has submitted their plan to USDA for delegated authority to implement a hemp regulatory program in Wyoming (http://agriculture.wy.gov/divisions/ts/wyindustrialhemp). USDA sent a letter to the Office of the Governor acknowledging receipt of Wyoming's draft plan (https://governor.wyo.gov/media/news-releases/hemp-in-wyoming-status-update). The letter stated their goal is to issue regulations in the fall of 2019 to accommodate the 2020 planting season and, as required by law, USDA will provide plan reviews within 60 days, once regulations are effective. When the rulemaking process is complete, we will begin to implement the following:I. Variety trialsVariety trials to assess fiber, grain, and essential oil production and quality will be conducted. Typically, multiple cultivars with a broad diversity of origin (e.g., Canada, northern and southern Europe, etc.) will be evaluated under diverse climatic conditions in Wyoming.Experimental design will be a randomized complete block with four replications on defined soil types of known use/cropping history. Soil samples will be taken before planting and subjected to routine analysis (pH, CEC, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Al, Cu, and Zn) among other measures (e.g., texture, organic matter). Fertilization practices will be similar, following industry standards (typically 67 and 222 kg N ha-1) for grain and fiber production, with P and K maintained in the "high" range of standard soil tests.Seeding rates will be based on industry-standard practice (typically 22 and 66 kg ha-1 for grain and fiber respectively). However, rates may be adjusted based on the results of germination tests so that all varieties are planted at similar rates of viable seed per acre. Row spacing may be adjusted according to the end product (wide spacing for grain, narrow spacing for fiber).Fiber will be harvested in the flowering stage. The grain will be harvested at physiological maturity and when the seed moisture content is between 10%-18% and standard drying and storage protocols will be followed. Crop harvest will be conducted with standard plot harvest equipment unless unsuited or unavailable, in which case plots will be harvested by hand. Post-harvest, measures of grain, aboveground biomass, and fiber yield among other metrics of interest will be collected. Grain quality will be evaluated based on oil content and fatty acid composition.Along with agronomic yield and crop quality measures, additional measures may include plant and stand attributes such as height, days to maturity, and plant population at stand establishment and at harvest. Environmental conditions and growing degree days also will be recorded. As well, hemp samples will be submitted to the appropriate state authorities for THC analysis. This testing will occur according to state law, or according to policies put in place by the relevant state agency.II. Management trialsEfforts at the establishment, harvest management, crop productivity and quality metrics for the following management trials will follow those described in the previous section on varietal assessmentIrrigation x variety interactionsRainfall is very low in some of the parts of Wyoming (e.g., Powell, WY) and therefore, growers are mostly dependent on irrigation for growing their crops. Understanding hemp production in an environment with limited water will be important. To identify varieties that perform best under irrigation and to assess the impact of the environment (e.g., climate) and management practices on biomass and seed yields, an existing hemp crop model (Amaducci et al. 2012) will be used in conjunction with phenology and climate data. Several varieties will be selected based on phenology and yield (both biomass and grain) for this research, and field comparisons will be conducted at the University of Wyoming's Powell Research and Extension Center.Crop performance will be evaluated under three irrigation regimes:Full irrigation to meet crop evapotranspiration (ET) based on the crop model (Amaducci et al. 2012); Irrigation to meet 75% of ET, and irrigation to meet 50% of ET.Water will be applied using a drip irrigation system. The treatments will be assigned based on a randomized split-plot design with three replications. Irrigation amounts will be assigned to the main plots and varieties to the sub-plots.Soils for these studies will be sampled to determine nutrient availability and required fertilization as determined in consultation with European Union hemp agronomists. Soil moisture content will be determined with the gravimetric method (both trials) before or at planting and after harvest to assist with water balance calculations. We will keep accurate records of irrigation and rainfall amounts at each of the two trials. In addition, we will install Watermark sensors in the irrigation trial to monitor soil water availability throughout the growing season.Pesticide studiesEfforts to determine hemp responses to various herbicide treatments will be part of this research program. Special attention will be given to pesticide residues where consumables (e.g., seeds and/or seed oils) are the target products.