Source: LINCOLN UNIVERSITY submitted to NRP
BUILDING RESEARCH, EXTENSION AND OUTREACH/EDUCATION CAPACITY TO ESTABLISH INDUSTRIAL HEMP PRODUCTION IN THE MIDWEST
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1026042
Grant No.
2021-38821-34726
Cumulative Award Amt.
$599,956.00
Proposal No.
2020-11033
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
May 15, 2021
Project End Date
May 14, 2025
Grant Year
2021
Program Code
[EQ]- Research Project
Recipient Organization
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY
820 CHESTNUT ST
JEFFERSON CITY,MO 651023537
Performing Department
Agriculture and Env. Sciences
Non Technical Summary
Hemp is a multipurpose crop with high potential for economic benefits to the farmers. The U.S is the largest importer of hemp products, mainly seed and fiber. The use of specific metabolites in cosmetics and human health further increases its domestic demand. The crop production to meet the domestic demand is hindered by several bottlenecks including limited knowledge of production strategies and management practices, lack of cultivars with wide adaptability, 'hot' plants in the field and very less breeding tools. Hemp is reintroduced recently in Missouri after more than 100 years with no adapted varieties and so no management practices. To establish the hemp production in Missouri and expand to the Midwest, suitable varieties must be selected/developed for diverse production environments. Long term goal is to address major production challenges of hemp in Missouri and also contribute to alleviating national production challenges. Main objectives of this integrated, multidisciplinary project are to (1) identify suitable hemp varieties for various agro-ecological regions of Missouri and test crop management practices, (2) develop genetic and genomic resources to generate breeding tools for crop improvement, (3) dissect molecular mechanisms associated with the hemp plant getting 'hot' and regulate it, (4) disseminate hemp production information, educate and build partnership with the hemp farmers and processors, and (5) train graduate and undergraduate students in hemp genetics, molecular biology, and breeding strategies. The project approaches and outcome will form a strong foundation for attracting additional funding from public-private stakeholders and also will contribute to agricultural biodiversity and sustainability.This
Animal Health Component
25%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
50%
Applied
25%
Developmental
25%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
20117301080100%
Knowledge Area
201 - Plant Genome, Genetics, and Genetic Mechanisms;

Subject Of Investigation
1730 - Hemp;

Field Of Science
1080 - Genetics;
Goals / Objectives
A long-term goal of this research is to strengthen the research capacity of Lincoln University and to establish a nationally recognized crop research, education and extension program studying industrial hemp and to extend that knowledge to growers and processors. This focus will address the major production challenges of industrial hemp in Missouri and will contribute to alleviating national production challenges. The main objectives of this research project include:1. Identify suitable hemp germplasm/varieties for various agro-ecological regions of Missouri and test crop management practices. (Valliyodan, Akotsen-Mensah, Students and collaborators Bledsoe, Johnson Boeckmann, Farmers)2. Initiate the development of genetic, and genomic resources towards building breeder's tools for crop improvement. (Yang, Valliyodan, Graduate student and the collaborator Chen)3. Dissect molecular mechanisms associated with the hemp plant getting 'hot' (producing THC above the legal limit) and develop molecular solution for the THC increase. (Valliyodan, Yang and Graduate student)4. Extension: Disseminate information, educate and build partnership with the hemp farmers and processors. (Akotsen-Mensah, Middleton, Bishop and collaborating farmers, MDA and MHA)5. Train graduate and undergraduate students in plant genetics, molecular biology, pest management, and molecular breeding strategies including gene editing, and crop production. (Valliyodan, Akotsen-Mensah, Yang, students and collaborators Bledsoe, Johnson and Chen)
Project Methods
?Methods for Research Objective 1. Identify suitable hemp germplasm/varieties for various agro-ecological regions of Missouri and test crop management practices.a)Variety screening at various locations in Missouri(Team: Valliyodan, Akotsen-Mensah, Graduate students and collaborators Bledsoe, Johnson, Boeckmann and Farmers).Most hemp cultivars are photoperiodic, therefore the earlier are planted, the more vegetative growth will accumulate. Hemp is day-length sensitive and flowering is triggered with the onset of shorter days in late July (Miller 1991). Our preliminary results show that planting during mid-May can give optimal growth for fiber, seed and dual varieties. We will start planting on May 15th, 2021. Variety trials for fiber, grain and dual varieties will be conducted at 5 locations in Missouri All experiments will be conducted in a complete randomized block design. Fields will be prepared using conventional tillage practices. Plots will be six rows wide, with 7.5 inches between rows, resulting in plots that will be 45 inches wide and 20 ft. long. Hemp seed will be planted using a modified hemp plot planter at a rate of 40 lbs. live seeds/A for fiber and 30 lbs. live seeds/A for grain and dual purpose varieties. Seeding depth will be calibrated to 0.25The cannabinoids will be analyzed using a UV-UPLC (Thermo, CA) in the PI laboratory using the modified protocol (Breman et al. 2018, Citti et al. 2019). b) Develop best integrated pest management practices for profitable hemp production in Missouri. (Team: Akotsen-Mensah, Graduate student). The long term goal of this objective is to develop and implement effective IPM program for major and emerging pests of hemp.Methods for Research Objective 2: Initiate the development of genetic, and genomic resources towards building breeder's tools for crop improvement.We propose to develop transcriptome atlas for a representative each from dual and cannabinoid varieties. The selected plants will be grown in the controlled conditions at LU plant growth facilities with optimal growing conditions. Plant tissue samples will be collected at various developmental stages. Tissue samples to be collected for RNA extraction include leaf tissues at seedling stage when the first leaf is completed, leaf tissues at vegetative stage when plants are one month old and before flowering, and leaf, stem, and root tip at reproductive stage with one week after flowering with both male and female plants being sampled. Also, the green seeds will be collected. RNeasy Plant Mini Kit (QIAGEN, Germany) will be used according to the manufacturer's instructions. Total RNA concentration will be measured at the wavelength ratio A260/280nm using a NanoDrop spectrophotometer (Thermo scientific, USA). SureSelect Strand-Specific RNA Library Kit (Agilent Technologies, USA) will be used to prepare RNA-Seq libraries based on the manufacturer's instructionsMethods for Research Objective 3: Dissect molecular mechanisms associated with the hemp plant getting 'hot' (producing THC above the legal limit) and develop molecular genetic solution. (Valliyodan, Yang and Graduate student)We will test this hypothesis with selected plants of both fiber, grain, dual and cannabinoid varieties growing at various field locations using the CCP-1 cannabinoid chemotype marker assay developed by Toth et al. (2020) with the CCP-1 primer set. Good quality DNA will be extracted from the tissues using the modified CTAB method (Doyle and Doyle 1987). Also, the cannabinoid analysis will be conducted in these tissues as described in the objective 2. Again, the CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing technology will be applied to validate the gene function and provide solution to breeders for developing desired hemp germplasm. The target genes (e.g., candidates encoding THC synthase and CBCAS synthase) will be subjected to gene editing as described above (Obj. 2). Edited plants will be subjected to chemotyping analysis and physiological characterization. This work will help address this problem by providing breeders with easy-to-use genetic markers that can be utilized much earlier on seedlings and both sexes of plants. The following question will be answered:Is there any tool to mitigate the accumulation of THC above legal limit of 0.3% by dry weight?Methods for Research Objective 4: Extension: Disseminate information, and educate and build partnership with the hemp farmers and processors.Extension team will conduct various educational and training programs for farmers, covering the cultivation, management and legal aspects of growing hemp as well as harvest and postharvest procedures, with emphasis on current Missouri processors. The Extension team will develop partnership with state and local law enforcement and will design and offer training programs to meet their needs. These trainings will be offered in five locations in Missouri. Upon successful completion, trainees will receive certificates. Overall goal is to educate potential growers and the general public on legal arrangement, production, pest management, processing by bringing all stakeholders together to reflect on the constraints, come out with solutions and create a forum for collaboration on the hemp initiative. There is an urgent need to provide research-based information developed through this capacity building grant objectives to our growers. To address this objective, LU will be providing educational and outreach programs including the formation of Hemp School to disseminate information to our small-scale growers across the state. We will seek support in various forms to address the potential concerns growers will have and particularly deal with issues that may arise as a result of this crop introduction. The extension activities are mainly focused on to conduct series of educational and outreach programs across the state to improve the grower awareness on this crop and work in partnership with them to navigate all potential growers into a more productive and efficient hemp operation in Missouri. The educational and outreach program will be carried out in the 5 regions of Missouri namely: North central, South Western, South Eastern, North East, and Central.The activities include: Training - 1) Farmers: (a) Seed source and selection, (b) soil preparation, (c) fertilization, (d) diseases, (e) insect pests and (f) harvest and postharvest processing.2) Law Enforcement Officers: (a) Regulations: Missouri Department of Agriculture, (b) contractual agreements, and (c) law enforcement policies and procedures.WorkshopsFarmer's forumField days -.Flyers and posters on hemp production-.Demonstration plots in farmers' fieldsMethods for Research Objective 5: Train graduate and undergraduate students in plant genetics, molecular biology, pest management, and molecular breeding strategies including gene editing, and crop production.All students including graduate and undergraduate students under this project will actively participate in the activities associated with project objectives. This include field experiments, field data collection, transcriptome and biochemical analysis, and gene cloning and editing technologies. The students will learn how to prepare for and present in conferences. The project key personnel and collaborators are teaching undergraduate and graduate classes and significant project details and results will be included in the related courses. The following question will be answered: How to motivate student to get training in advanced scientific disciplines and generate next generation agricultural scientists?

Progress 05/15/23 to 05/14/24

Outputs
Target Audience:The major target audience of the project are potential hemp farmers including minority and socially disadvantaged farmers, students and hemp industry/processors. Efforts are to make hemp a potential crop for economic benefits to farmers including minority farmers who are LU's major target audience. Changes/Problems:Requested for no cost extension to cokmplete the remaining tasks in the proejct. We have already planted and continued to screen selected hemp varieties at various locations for this planting season (2024 Aptil-2025 September) to confirm genetic analysis, variety-environment interactions, and nitrogen management studies. The no cost extension will help complete these tasks indicated in the research plan. These confirmed results will significantly impact on the farmers selection of varieties for higher premium. Further confirmation of all molecular markers developed will strengthen future breeding plans. Also, complete assembly and annotation of ongoing genome sequencing activities of selected genomes will contribute heavily to genomic resources for future applications. There are no high-quality genome assemblies available for fiber, grain, and wild hemp. Hemp variety specific transformation protocols will be applied to continue the genome editing strategies of selected traits, e.g., maturity, THC content. The no cost extension can help complete the ongoing graduate student's thesis timely, one will graduate in December 2024 and another one in May 2025. Moreover, two high quality manuscripts are ready for submission and two are in the pipeline to submit to peer reviewed journals, and this no cost extension can significantly support these activities. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Conducted 4 training workshops for potential hemp farmers, students and processors. This includesone-to-one interactions with the minority and socially disadvantaged farmers. In total around 100 people attended. We are working closely with the minority organizations including Kansas City Black Farmers association and Missouri farmers union. Conducted industrial hemp field daysat the George Washington Carver Farm, Lincoln University, Missouri. Several farmers, processors, Missouri legislatures, students and faculty attended. Three undergraduate students worked part time in the project. Several undergraduate students participated in the summer hemp planting and data collection. Two graduate students worked on the project. One master's student (Mr. Tamang R. Kusum) submitted the thesis on industrial hemp for the fulfillment of the Masters in Sustainable Agriculture degree from the Lincoln University of Missouri. We have developed partnerships with major higher education institutions in the state, the University of Missouri, Truman State University, Southeast Missouri State University on hemp research, education, and outreach and continuing. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?One Masters in Science Sustainable Agriculture thesis is published. One manuscript published in journal and two manuscripts with project results are under the final review for publication in peer reviewed journal. Results were disseminated to the communities of interest through one-on-one meetings, field days, and fact sheets (e.g., working with Kansas City Black Farmers Association and other minority farmers). Several farmers showed interest in hemp production. The LU hemp institute website played a crucial role in dissemination of results. Worked very closely with the USDA Hemp program too for the dissemination of results. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Requested no cost extension for one year to complete the remaining tasks associated with the project objectives: 1. Identify suitable hemp germplasm/varieties for various agro-ecological regions of Missouri and test crop management practices. 2. Initiate the development of genetic and genomic resources towards building breeder's tools for crop improvement. 3. Dissect molecular mechanisms associated with the hemp plant getting 'hot' (producing THC above the legal limit) and develop molecular solution for the THC increase. 4. Extension: Disseminate information, educate, and build partnership with the hemp farmers and processors. 5. Train graduate and undergraduate students in plant genetics, molecular biology, pest management, and molecular breeding strategies including gene editing, and crop production. We have already planted and continued to screen selected hemp varieties at various locations for this planting season (2024 Aptil-2025 September) to confirm genetic analysis, variety-environment interactions, and nitrogen management studies. The no cost extension will help complete these tasks indicated in the research plan. These confirmed results will significantly impact on the farmers selection of varieties for higher premium. Further confirmation of all molecular markers developed will strengthen future breeding plans. Also, complete assembly and annotation of ongoing genome sequencing activities of selected genomes will contribute heavily to genomic resources for future applications. There are no high-quality genome assemblies available for fiber, grain, and wild hemp. Hemp variety specific transformation protocols will be applied to continue the genome editing strategies of selected traits, e.g., maturity, THC content. The no cost extension can help complete the ongoing graduate student's thesis timely, one will graduate in December 2024 and another one in May 2025. Moreover, two high quality manuscripts are ready for submission and two are in the pipeline to submit to peer reviewed journals, and this extension can significantly support these activities.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We screened 30 plus industrial hemp varieties including fiber, dual, grain and flower types collected from all over the world (e.g. France, Poland, Italy, China, Australia, U.S.A) at a minimum of 6 locations in Missouri for the last three years, (including 2023 season and the 2024 season plants are in the field now) for the genotype environmental interactions studies and identified region specific varieties for the producers of those regions to grow. Planted over 25 acres test plots of fiber, grain, dual and cannabinoid types of hemp varieties. Several potential hemp farmers collaborated with the project to establish experimental plots at various locations in Missouri. They in turn started planting large acreage of fiber and grain type hemp for the year 2023, and 2024. We developed standard operating procedures for the industrial hemp cultivation in the state and the potential hemp farmers are following those SOPs. Tested various farm equipment to assess the feasibility and use in hemp planting and harvest. All planting equipment performed well wherever it is used, but the crucial parameter is the ploughed land need to be packed before planting and the planting depth should not exceed more than a quarter inch. Tested for planting dates, planting density including the planting row spacing. The results show that the best planting density for the fiber varieties is 55-60 pounds per acre and for grain or dual varieties is 35-50 pounds per acre based on the varieties and seed size. 7 inches spacing gave good results in both fiber and grain type varieties. The project has developed the best IPM strategies towards best crop production. Data were collected from field trial experiments during the yearly field trials under Missouri conditions at different locations Industrial hemp cultivars phenotypic data were collected throughout the growth periods includes: emergence rate, plant density, plant height, flowering time, male female ratio, stem diameter, root and shoor biomass, fiber, fiber and grain yield and cannabinoid content. Various standard statistical methods were used to analyze the data. After the evaluation of different cultivars grown in various production regions in Missouri, we found that fiber cultivars Jinma, Yuma, Puma and MS-77 contributed to higher emergence, optimal stem diameter, plant height, biomass, and fiber yield (ranging 3-5 tons per acre) but having late flowering time. In terms of grain/dual varieties Futura 83 and Hocomo contributed to higher emergence, optimal stem diameter, plant height, biomass, and fiber yield with earlier flowering time. The Futura 83 grain yield ranging from 2000 to 2500 lbs./acre and fiber yield of 5000-7000 lbs./acre. During the growing season, hemp plants exhibited two distinct growth patterns, with dual varieties maturing later compared to the grain type. Shorter grain type plants showed higher resistance to lodging, while dual types demonstrated better weed suppression and overall best plant vigor. The fertilizer management studies are in progress to optimize the fertilizer application for the best crop, will be completed in the no cost extension period. We have established a national hemp testing facility for producers which can routinely quantify 12 cannabinoids including the tetra hydro cannabinol (THC), which is mandatory to comply with the state and federal regulations. We are testing the hemp samples from all test locations for the project period and will continue to provide the service to all hemp farmers in the country. There was no germplasm available at the USDA-GRIN during the project initiation. We have identified and collected wild hemp strains and local landrace from various locations in the state of Missouri and Kansas. These lines have been growing here annually for the last several decades, are the potential genetic resources for future breeding and crop improvement strategies. Several genetic markers are developed associated with agronomic and quality traits including plant growth and development, sex, THC content, flowering, maturity, seed shattering, seed oil and fiber quality. The THC markers are further characterized to understand the molecular mechanism of hemp plant getting hot. We identified that a combination of gene regulation of THC pathway genes and interaction of abiotic stresses (high temperature and drought mainly) during flowering time is the probable cause of the plant getting hot. We Initiated sequencing of selected hemp lines to add towards the genomic resources and will be completed during the no cost extension period. Also, we have developed stable plant transformation protocols for fiber, grain, and flower type hemp along with studying the application of developmental regulators to improve in planta and in vitro transformation of hemp. These steps are prerequisite for the genome editing strategies for the selected traits, which is in progress, will be completed during the no cost extension period. Continued with the USDA funded multi state grain yield evaluation project. This project funding support significantly impacted on the Industrial hemp research, extension, and education in the state of Missouri and at the national level too. Major milestone of this project activities is that Lincoln University became the leading institution in industrial hemp research including fiber, grain and flower types which significantly helped to influence the MO ag industries, apart from the institutional capacity building achievements. The project activities influenced the MO farmers and many of them initiated industrial hemp crops for fiber grain and flowers. For the last two years MO has been the second largest producer of hemp fiber after Kentucky. The USDA funded program, multi state S1084 on industrial hemp grain yield trails in the U.S. lead by U Kentucky included us in the team only because of this project progress and achievements and the LU is representing MO state yield trails. The project team made strong partnership with private stake holders in the hemp space including hemp fiber and grain processors. Above all, this project leveraged us to successfully obtain another big project on Climate smart hemp through the USDA-NRCS Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Pool 1 through building a national team including public -private stakeholders.

Publications

  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Genetic and molecular characterization of industrial hemp for grain and dual type varieties. Kusum R. Tamang, Master of Science in Sustainable Agriculture, Lincoln University of Missouri, May 2024
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Other Year Published: 2024 Citation: Genetic and biochemical characterization of industrial hemp fiber plants for the Midwest. Mahdi S, Tamang RK, Asiamah J, Carson C, Valliyodan B. Journal Frontiers in Plant Sciences. Final review for submission
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Other Year Published: 2024 Citation: Genetic and molecular characterization of grain and dual type hemp varieties. Tamang RK, Asiamah J, Mahdi S, Carson C, Valliyodan B. Journal Frontiers in Plant Sciences. Final review for submission
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Evaluation of Yield Component, Seed Compositional Traits and Water Use efficiency of Grain Hemp Varieties towards Developing Crop Improvement Strategies. Tamang KR, Mahdi S, Valliyodan B Department of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Lincoln University of Missouri, Jefferson City, MO 65101. The Interdisciplinary Plant Group (IPG), University of Missouri Annual symposium, 2023
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Genetic and biochemical characterization of industrial hemp fiber plants to identify suitable cultivars for Missouri production regions. Mahdi S, Asiamah J; Tamang K, Valliyodan B The Interdisciplinary Plant Group (IPG), University of Missouri Annual symposium, 2023
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Molecular breeding strategies for developing industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.). J.Y. Asiamah, K.R. Tamang, S. Mahdi, C. Carson, P. Koirala, B. Valliyodan The Interdisciplinary Plant Group (IPG), University of Missouri Annual symposium, 2024
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Hemp crops as a carbon sequestration and climate resilience tactic. B. Valliyodan. Invited Presentation for Climate, Water, Equity and Opportunity: A workshop for all land-grant institutions hosted by the North Central Region October 12-13, 2023 Denver, CO.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2024 Citation: Industrial Hemp as a climate smart commodity. B. Valliyodan, Lincoln University, Missouri Association of 1890 Research Directors, Incorporated 1890 Land-Grant Universities Biennial Research Symposium 2024.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2024 Citation: Screening for phenotypic and biochemical variation to identify the best industrial hemp fiber cultivars for the Missouri production regions. S Mahdi, Lincoln University, Missouri. Invited presentation, Association of 1890 Research Directors, Incorporated 1890 Land-Grant Universities Biennial Research Symposium 2024.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2024 Citation: Molecular and genetic characterization of industrial hemp for grain and fiber type. KR. Tamang, Lincoln University, Missouri. Invited presentation, Association of 1890 Research Directors, Incorporated 1890 Land-Grant Universities Biennial Research Symposium 2024.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Breeding of industrial hemp for superior genetics. J. Asiamah, Lincoln University, Missouri. Invited presentation, Association of 1890 Research Directors, Incorporated 1890 Land-Grant Universities Biennial Research Symposium 2024.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Climate smart hemp. B. Valliyodan. Invited presentation, 2024 Cornell University Hemp Webinar series, 3-6-2024.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Akotsen-Mensah, C.; Ativor, I. N.; Foba, C. N.; Valliyodan, B. Bycatch of Common Pollinators in Pheromone Baited Traps for Monitoring Corn Earworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Missouri Industrial Hemp. Preprints 2024, 2024010649. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202401.0649.v1


Progress 05/15/22 to 05/14/23

Outputs
Target Audience:The major target audience of the project are potential hemp farmers including minority and socially disadvantaged farmers, students and hemp industry/processors. Efforts are to make hemp a potential crop for economic benefits to farmers including minority farmers who are LU's major target audience. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Conducted 5 training workshops for potential hemp farmers, students and processors. This includesone-to-one interactions with the minority and socially disadvantaged farmers. In total around 120 people attended. Conducted industrial hemp field daysat the George Washington Carver Farm, Lincoln University, Missouri and at the Southeast Missouri location (Sikeston, MO). Several farmers, processors, Missouri legislatures, students and faculty attended. Conducted two training workshops for law enforcement. Three undergraduate students started working part time in the project. Several undergraduate students participated in the summer hemp planting and data collection. Two graduate students worked on the project. One master's student (Ms. Sakina Mahdi) submitted the thesis on industrial hemp for the fulfillment of the Masters in Sustainable Agriculture degree from the Lincoln University of Missouri. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results were disseminated to the communities of interest through one-on-one meetings, field day, fact sheets. Several farmers showed interest in hemp production. The LU hemp institute website played a crucial role in dissemination of results.Worked very closely with the Missouri Department of Agriculture Industrial Hemp program too for the dissemination of results. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue with the tasks associated with the project objectives: 1. Identify suitable hemp germplasm/varieties for various agro-ecological regions of Missouri and test crop management practices. 2. Initiate the development of genetic and genomic resources towards building breeder's tools for crop improvement. 3. Dissect molecular mechanisms associated with the hemp plant getting 'hot' (producing THC above the legal limit) and develop molecular solution for the THC increase. 4. Extension: Disseminate information, educate, and build partnership with the hemp farmers and processors. 5. Train graduate and undergraduate students in plant genetics, molecular biology, pest management, and molecular breeding strategies including gene editing, and crop production.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We screened 26industrial hemp varieties including fiber, dual, grain and flower types collected from all over theworld at a minimum of 6 locations, two replicationsin Missouri to continue with the multiyear study to identify best varieties forthe Missouri production regions. This study will provide genotype x environmental interactions including the best soil types and other management practices. Total planted acreage of test plots was around 8 acres. Several hemp farmers voluntarilyparticipatedin the program by providing the locations for the test plots. Also, couple of the farmers planted large acreage of fiber hemp varieties suggested by the project outcome so far (Jinam and Puma). Continued testing various planting dates (May, June and July) and confirmed that early May is the best planting time for the industrial hemp. Established best protocols for the fiber and grain hemp planting, cultivation and harvest. Integrated pest management studies identified key pests associated with industrial hemp cultivation. Data were collected from field trial experiments includes emergence rate, plant density, plant height, flowering time, male female ratio,stem diameter, root and shoor biomass, fiber, fiber and grain yield and cannabinoid content. Various standard statisticalmethods were used to analyze the data. After the yield evaluation from the varieties, we found that the average fiber yield was around 4 tons per acre (from the variety Jinma) and 2500 pounds per acre for the grain variety. Continued with the plant transformation protocols for fiber and grain type of hemp. This is essential for the hemp genetic improvement tasks. Initiated testing marker gene constructs for the protocol development. Major activities included: Refine existing protocol for surface sterilization and germination of hemp seeds; Establish a system for in vitro micropropagation of hemp; Establish a protocol for hemp in vitro regeneration; Optimize hemp transformation and genome editing; Protoplast isolation and transient transformation in hemp. Stable transformation protocols were developed. Also, the hairy root transformation showed visual marker RUBY in hemp. Continued with the collaborative efforts with the hemp fiber processing facility in Missouri. The hemp community recognized LU Hemp project and invited us to participate in the multi state hemp grain yield trial project funded by the USDA. Lincoln University is representing the Missouri location in the project. Initiated national hemp testing facility to routinely test the cannabinoid (mainly 12 cannabinoids including THC content) content from hemp samples collected from various locations. Established caannabinoid testing protocols for the routine analysis of 12 cannabinboids using Shimadzu Hemp Analyzer (HPLC)

Publications

  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Genetic and biochemical characterization of industrial hemp fiber plants to identify suitable cultivars for Missouri production regions. Sakina Mahdi, Master of Science in Sustainable Agriculture, Lincoln University of Missouri, May 2023.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Citation: Identification of Desired Cannabinoid Trait/s for the Value-Added Improvement of Industrial Hemp. L. Newman; S. Mahdi; D. Middleton; C. Boeckmann; J. Patel; C. Akotsen-Mensah; B. Valliyodan; Department of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Lincoln University, Jefferson City, MO 65101. The Interdisciplinary Plant Group (IPG), University of Missouri Annual symposium, 2022
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Citation: Identification of Desired Cannabinoid Trait/s for the Value-Added Improvement of Industrial Hemp. A. Hawkes*; S. Mahdi; D. Middleton; C. Boeckmann; J. Patel; C. Akotsen-Mensah; B. Valliyodan; Department of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Lincoln University, Jefferson City, MO 65101. Association of 1890 Research Directors, Incorporated 1890 Land-Grant Universities Biennial Research Symposium 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Citation: Evaluation of Agronomic, and Compositional Traits of Fiber and Grain Hemp Varieties towards Developing Crop Improvement Strategies. S. Mahdi, D. Middleton, J. Patel, C. Boeckmann, C. Akotsen-Mensah, B. Valliyodan. Department of Agriculture and Environmental Science & Cooperative Research Lincoln University of Missouri, Jefferson City, MO 65101. The Interdisciplinary Plant Group (IPG), University of Missouri Annual symposium, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Citation: Comparative analysis of rhizobiomes of industrial hemp varieties. W. Givens*; R. Baker; S. Mahdi; K. Cash; B. Valliyodan; Department of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Lincoln University, Jefferson City, MO 65101. Association of 1890 Research Directors, Incorporated 1890 Land-Grant Universities Biennial Research Symposium 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Citation: Monitoring and management of key lepidopteran pests of industrial hemp in Missouri. Invited presentation by Clement Akotsen-Mensah. Lincoln University Hemp Institute, Department of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Lincoln University, Jefferson City, MO 65101. Association of 1890 Research Directors, Incorporated 1890 Land-Grant Universities Biennial Research Symposium 2022.


Progress 05/15/21 to 05/14/22

Outputs
Target Audience:Major target audience includes potential hemp farmers includingminority and socially dissadvantaged farmers, hemp research community, students, Missouri hemp industry/processors. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Conducted 4 training workshops for potential hemp farmers, students and processors. This includesone-to-one interactions with the minority and socially disadvantaged farmers. In total around 100 people attended. Conducted industrial hemp field dayat the George Washington Carver Farm, Lincoln University, Missouri. Several farmers, processors, Missouri legislatures, students and faculty were attended. Conducted two training workshops for law enforcement. One undergraduate student started working part time in the project. Several undergraduate students participated in the summer hemp planting and data collection. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results were disseminated to the communities of interest through one on one meetings, field day, fact sheets. Several farmers showed interest in hemp production. The LU hemp institute website played a crucial role in dissemination of results. Worked very closely with the Missouri Department of Agriculture Industrial Hemp program too for thedissemination of results. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue with the tasks associated with the project objectives: 1. Identify suitable hemp germplasm/varieties for various agro-ecological regions of Missouri and test crop management practices. 2. Initiate the development of genetic and genomic resources towards building breeder's tools for crop improvement. 3. Dissect molecular mechanisms associated with the hemp plant getting 'hot' (producing THC above the legal limit) and develop molecular solution for the THC increase. 4. Extension: Disseminate information, educate, and build partnership with the hemp farmers and processors. 5. Train graduate and undergraduate students in plant genetics, molecular biology, pest management, and molecular breeding strategies including gene editing, and crop production.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Most of the project activities were delayed starting (in 2021) due to reasons including the planting season was already (late April-early May) close to the project's actual start date and delay in hiring graduate and undergraduate students. Accomplishments(summary): We screened 20industrial hemp varieties including fiber, dual, grain and flower types collected from all over theworld at a minimum of 4 locations, two replicationsin Missourito initiate the multi-year study to identify best varieties for the Missouri production regions. This study will provide genotype x environmental interactions including the best soil types. Total planted acreage of test plots was around 3 acres. Two potential hemp farmers voluntarilyparticipatedin the program by providing the locations for the test plots. Tested various planting equipment for thebest results and found out that most of the currently available planting equipment isuseful. Tested various planting dates (May, June and July) and found that early May is the best planting time for the industrial hemp. Established best protocols for the flower type hemp planting, cultivation and biomass processing for the downstream extraction processes. Data were collected from field trial experiments includes: emergence rate, plant density, plant height, flowering time, male female ratio,stem diameter, root and shoor biomass, fiber, fiber and grain yield and cannabinoid content. Various standard statisticalmethods were used to analyze the data. Initiated developing plant transformation protocols for industrial hemp. The transformation protocol is essential for thefuture gene editing tasks. Initiated collaborations withthe hemp fiber processing facility in Missouri.

Publications

  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Lincoln University Hemp Institute (https://www.lincolnu.edu/hemp-institute/index.html)
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: The Missouri Hemp Industry and the Global Market