INDUSTRIAL HEMP PRODUCTION, PROCESSING, AND MARKETING IN THE U.S.

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: HATCH
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1023012
• Multistate No.: S-1084
• Project Start Date: May 28, 2020
• Project End Date: Aug 30, 2023
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
AUBURN UNIVERSITY
108 M. WHITE SMITH HALL
AUBURN,AL 36849

Performing Department
Horticulture

Non Technical Summary
Hemp was once one of the most popular crops in the United States with early laws evenrequiring farmers to grow hemp for production of fuel, clothing, paper, and building materials.After a series of restrictive taxes and laws in the 20th century paired with the rise of other, lessexpensive fibers, production came to a halt. However, the 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills created apilot program for universities and states' departments of agriculture to grow hemp for researchpurposes while also reclassifying it as an agricultural commodity. These major milestonesallowed hemp production in the U.S. to surge, with licensed hemp acreage increasing more than445% from 2018 to 2019.Due to the 'newness' of this crop, Extension personnel are unable to offer research-basedinformation to our stakeholders. This proposal addresses the immediate management needs ofAlabama growers by sampling regional-specific hemp varieties to fit our unique climate. We willwork to create a catalog of pests specific to this region to aid in future integrated pestmanagement studies. Working at E.V. Smith Research Center, we will conduct a cannabidiolhemp variety trial and sample each variety for insects and diseases. These results canimmediately be communicated to growers who are eager for based information. Specifically, ourobjectives are to 1. Screen 15 hemp varieties grown for cannabidiol (CBD) to identify those bestsuited for growing in Alabama and 2. Identify major pests (insects, diseases) found in hemp overthe course of the growing season.

Animal Health Component

95%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

5%

Applied

95%

Developmental

0%

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
204	1730	1020	50%
206	1730	1020	50%

Knowledge Area
206 - Basic Plant Biology; 204 - Plant Product Quality and Utility (Preharvest);

Subject Of Investigation
1730 - Hemp;

Field Of Science
1020 - Physiology;

Keywords

hemp

cbd

thc

variety development

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.
* Soil types
­ Suitability/adaptability to varied soil types, including disturbed and marginal soils
* Establishment practices
­ Conventional tillage vs. no-till establishment
­ Planting date × variety interactions
­ Planting rates (and depths) appropriate for fiber and seed crops
­ Row spacing
* Fertilization practices
­ Application rates
­ Application timing (especially relative to different production outcomes (grain, fiber, dual purpose (grain + fiber), and essential oil production systems)
* Canopy management
­ Utility/timing of topping during growing season to induce multiple tillering
* Water use and demand
­ Irrigation × variety interactions
­ Evapotranspiration and water demand
­ Timing availability effects
* Insect, pathogens, and other pest management.
­ Pest and pathogen sensitivity
­ Efficacy of seed fungicide and insecticide treatments
­ Effects of late-season fungicide applications on grain yield and quality
­ Economic thresholds for insect and other pest control
* Weed management
­ Pre/post emergence herbicides for weed control
­ Herbicide sensitivities
* Harvest and handling practices
­ Evaluate efficacy of field desiccation (e.g., using diquat or glyphosate) for grain crops
­ Develop best practice protocols for retting both in fiber and dual purpose hemp systems
­ Determine engineering needs for harvest, handling and processing
* Suitability for crop rotations
­ Evaluate potential for use in rotations or mixtures with other crop
­ Measure hemp performance and weed/insect/disease incidence following corn, cotton, soybean, tobacco, forage/pasture/range/fallow
­ Determine hemp’s effects on disease/pest cycles of other crops Crop quality - Assay plant material from above for corresponding fiber, grain and cannabinoid traits * Stem and stem fiber properties characterized on the macro, micro, and micron scale
* Grain quality, including oil and protein levels and fatty acid and amino acid profiles
* Other potential uses (e.g., as a biofuel feedstock, as chemical adsorbents or as fresh/ensiled forage crops for livestock)
* NIRS equation development for rapid quality assessment

Project Methods
Objective 1. Screen 15 hemp varieties grown for cannabidiol (CBD) to identify those best suited for growing in Alabama.In Year 1, we will evaluate approximately 15 varieties of CBD hemp. All varieties will be replicated four times in a replicated complete block design. All plants will be sent to the researchers from a local hemp company; the clones will be hand-planted into the plastic mulch inthe first half of June. Approximately one week after planting, data collection will begin. Randomly selected plants (n=10) from the center of each plot will be measured for plant height and plant width. Time to flowering will be recorded for an additional 10 randomly selectedplants. Four times throughout the growing season (once/month for four months), samples will be taken from each plot for cannabinoid screening. A panel of eleven cannabinoids will be provided, including delta 9-THC, total THC, and CBD. Sampling will follow the Alabama Department of Agriculture (ADAI) and Industries' standard operating procedure (SOP) for pre-harvest THC sampling. The top 20 centimeters of the plant's primary stem will be clipped, secured in a paper bag, and removed for analysis by ACS Laboratory in Florida.At harvest, final plant measurements will be taken. Harvest time will be determined for each variety by monitoring the trichomes on the plant; when a majority of the trichomes turns from clear to milky white, harvest will be triggered for that variety (https://catawba.ces.ncsu.edu/2019/02/drying-hemp-for-cbd-production/). Time to maturation for each variety will be monitored and recorded. Floral biomass will be used as a metric of yield. Plants will be harvested, dried, and stored in accordance with ADAI guidelines for hemp. A representative 10 plants from each plot will be used for yield measurements. Year 2 will follow similar methods. We will choose the top 6 performing varieties from Year 1 and collect similar data.Objective 1a: Identify major pests (insects, diseases) found in hemp over the course of the growing season.The experiment will be monitored weekly for the appearance of plant diseases. When a disease is suspected, tissue samples will be collected for laboratory analysis at the Auburn University Plant Diagnostic Lab. Plant pathogens will be identified using macro and microscopic examination of infected plant tissue, isolation onto selective media, serology, molecular techniques (PRC and sequencing) and applying Koch's Postulates. As diseases appear in the test, weekly ratings of disease incidence and severity will commence and continue until harvest. Disease incidence will be measured as number of plants per plot exhibiting symptoms of disease;disease severity will be rated on a 0-100 % scale. Photographs will be taken of each disease as they progress throughout the season for future use in research and Extension publications.. At the end of the experiment, disease incidence and severity will be measured as it relates to yield and crop quality (CBD and THC content). This will be done for each variety. Weekly sampling will begin one week after transplanting to collect arthropods found in and on hemp using a variety of methods. Sampling methods include pan traps, sticky traps, and visual sampling. Three Heliothis traps with corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea, pheromone will be put on the outside of the field to monitor for adult moth movement. All samples will be returned to the laboratory and identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level. Photographs will be taken of each arthropod as they are found throughout the season for future use in research and Extension publications. Damage ratings will be conducted late season in each plot to assess feeding or infestation levels from pests. These methods will be determined by the pests that inhabit the crop and the level of damage, and will be on a 1 (no damage) to 5 (severe damage) scale. Pest damagewill be related to yield and crop quality (i.e. CBD content). This will be done for each variety.Objective 2: Evaluate the impact of variable nitrogen treatments on growth, flower quality, yield, and chemical composition in hemp.This objective will evaluate various application rates of nitrogen (50, 100, 150, 200 lbs/acre) including a control (0 lbs/acre) with four replications each in a RCBD. The nitrogen will be applied as a split application with a portion of the nitrogen applied pre-plant when the beds are formed and then the remainder will be injected later in the growing season. All other nutrients will be applied pre-plant based on soil test results based on field corn. Each plot will contain 25 hemp plants planted on 5 ft centers within each plot. Plots will be spaced 6 ft apart between rows. At the beginning of the experiment, soil samples will be taken from each plot (n = 20) and sent to the Auburn University Soil Testing Laboratory for nutrient analysis (ICAP + N). Leaf tissue samples will be taken at three sample dates - pre-flowering, flowering, and post-flowering. Twenty to thirty MRMLs (most recently matured leaves) will be sampled from each plot (n=20 to 30) and sent to the Auburn University Soil Testing Laboratory for analysis. Survey Ranges from analysis will be used to correlate N-rate to concentrations of CBD, THC, and other critical agronomic traits. Each week, 10 randomly selected plants in each plot will be measured for plant height and plant width. At harvest, three randomly selected flower samples will be analyzed from each plot (n=60) for cannabinoids. A panel of eleven cannabinoids will be provided, including delta 9-THC, total THC, and CBD. Sampling will follow the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries' (ADAI) standard operating procedures (SOP) for pre-harvest THC sampling. The top 20 centimeters of the plant's primary stem will be clipped, secured in a paper bag, and removed for analysis. Samples will be sent to and analyzed at ACS Laboratory, Sun City Center, FL. Immediately prior to harvest, final plant samples and measurements will be taken. Floral biomass will be used to measure yield upon harvest. 10 plants from each plot will be used for yield measurements. An economic analysis will be conducted at the end of the trial using the current price of fertilizer and CBD to find the most economical rate of fertilizer.

Progress 10/01/20 to 09/30/21

Outputs
Target Audience:Commerical hemp growers, Extension agents and specialists, researchers, and crop advisors Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Six hemp prduction meetings are planned for January 2022 where data from this project will be shared with growers, Extension agents and others. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The fertility experiment will be repeated in the summer of 2022.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Soil Fertility Trail Four nitrogen treatments of 51, 76, 109, 164 lbs/acre were applied preplant onto raised with drip irrigation. After nutrients were applied, the beds were covered with black polyethylene plastic. All other nutrients were applied based on soil test results following recommendations from the NC Dept of Agriculture's guidelines for industrial hemp. This trial was conducted at the E.V. Smith Research Station in Shorter, Alabama in a research hemp field. Experimental Design: Field was prepared with a burndown herbicide. Six-week-old hemp seedlings of Cannabis sativa 'BaOx' were hand transplanted after hardening into the field on 4 June 2021 into an RCBD with four replicates for each nitrogen treatment. Seedlings were started in a greenhouse on 13 April 2021. Mechanical cultivation was employed for weed control weekly. All plots were one row wide and 10 plants (~25 feet) long. Insect management control was initiated following transplanting. Biometric data including plant height (to the highest point in the plant) were collected periodically throughout the growing season. Prior to harvest, floral samples were taken from each plot and sent to ACS Laboratories for potency analysis for cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Results. There were no significant differences in plant growth, CBD, or THC content. The middle two N, 76 and 109 lbs N/acre, rates had higher CBD and THC, but this was not significant.

Publications

Progress 05/28/20 to 09/30/20

Outputs
Target Audience:commercial hemp growers, county extension agents, regional extension agents, extension specialists, researchers Changes/Problems:We intend to midigate several land prep issues and conduct a few smaller studies focusing on raising transplants from seed and various media instead of from cuttings (clones) tomimprove out stand establishment. Further details are desribed in the "Accomplishment" section in this report. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Three virtual seminars were conducted in Alabama 5 November 2020 for North Alabama 13 November 2020 for Central Alabama 20 November 2020 for South Alabama Some of results and issues from these projects were shared with Extension personal and hemp growers. Additional workshops will be scheduled in 2021. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Three virtual seminars were conducted in Alabama 5 November 2020 for North Alabama 13 November 2020 for Central Alabama 20 November 2020 for South Alabama Some of results and issues from these projects were shared with Extension personal and hemp growers. Additional workshops will be scheduled in 2021. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will focus our efforts on the fertility trial, variety trial, and pesticide research projects as outlined in our initial proposal.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Plants were donated from The Hemp Mine in South Carolina and Kayagene Hemp Company in Florida. Unrooted cuttings from the Hemp Mine from three varieties were shipped on June 15, 2020 and received on June 18, 2020. They were rooted in the greenhouse at Plant Science Research Center on the afternoon of June 18, 2020. Cuttings were put under a mist table and watered for 30 seconds every 10 minutes. Plants were covered with a black shade cloth to limit light. Seeds from Kayagene were planted in the greenhouse and watered and fertilized similar to the unrooted cuttings until transplanted into the field. Plants were left to root for 7-14 days before transplanting at E.V. Smith Research Center. By June 25 (7 days after putting in cells) there was minimal root development. On July 2, there was significant disease on the cuttings and minimal root growth. A fungicidal drench of SubdueMax was applied. On July 7, there was approximately 50% plant death from disease. Plants also appeared to have a nitrogen deficiency. On July 8, plants were treated again with a SubdueMax drench. Plants also received nitrogen at 100 ppm. For the next three weeks, plants were watered three times per week and given additional nutrients on a regular schedule. Cuttings were stressed from the multi-day travel to Alabama in 90°F temperatures. The plants were further stressed with disease, whiteflies, and two-spotted spider mites. Heavy rain in early July made it difficult to prepare the field and lay plastic. It was delayed several weeks until the field dried out. We laid plastic on the field July 22 and hand cut holes for each separate trial. Plants were not watered on the morning of July 22 and they were all brought out to the farm on that day before transplanting. By the end of the day, irrigation was not set up and plants could not go into the ground. We brought them all pack to the greenhouse and they immediately received water. The following week on July 27, the field was irrigated using a wagon wheel. On the morning of July 28, we transplanted all the plants into the field. There was significant plant death throughout the experiment. We were unable to take final yield measurements, or CBD and THC measurements. An insecticide trial was planned, but the majority of the plants used for that trial died when transplanted. We attempted to replace the plants with another set of transplants, but the seed was non-feminized and the more than half the plants were male. The male plants likely pollenated other trials in the same field, so any CBD or THC measurements would not have been unique to the treatments. Plant Spacing Trial Two auto-flower varieties, Pipeline and Maverick, were planted a high and low density. Densities were determined by Kayagene Hemp Company. Plant height and stem diameter measurements were taken the day after transplanting and at approximately 1, 2, and 4 weeks after transplanting. There were no significant differences in the plant height or stem diameter between varieties or between high- and low-density plantings within the same variety. Plant mortality was measured by counting the proportion of plants that were dead the day after transplanting and at approximately 1, 2, 4, 5, and 9 weeks after transplanting. Both varieties at higher plant densities had significantly less mortality than their low-density counterparts. Variety Trial Three varieties were planted at standard row spacing (6 feet). Varieties were supplied from the Hemp Mine and included Janet's G, Sunset 1, and Sunset 2. All three varieties were photoperiod dependent. Significant plant death occurred and did not allow for enough plants to analyze data. Plants likely died from disease and stress from shipping and transplanting late in the season. Fertility Trial Janet's G, a photoperiod dependent variety from the Hemp Mine, was planted at standard row spacing and given 4 levels of nitrogen at planting. They received either 51, 76, 109, or 164 pounds per acre. Plant mortality was measured by counting the proportion of plants that were dead the day after transplanting and at approximately 1, 2, 4, 5, and 9 weeks after transplanting. Plant height and stem diameter measurements were taken the day after transplanting and at approximately 1, 2, and 4 weeks after transplanting. There was significantly lower plant death in the 76 lbs/A treatment, while there was no significant difference between the other nitrogen rates during the sample period. Plants that received 51 lbs/A of nitrogen were significantly taller than the other treatments and had thicker stem diameters; there was no difference between the other nitrogen rates.

Publications

• Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Kemble, J. and K. Conner. 2020. Leaf Tissue Testing for Hemp. Alabama Cooperative Extension System, ANR 2683 (peer reviewed) (https://www.aces.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ANR-2683-Leaf-Tissue-Testing_090920L-G.pdf)