Hemp Agronomy: Current Advances, Questions, Challenges, and Opportunities

Abstract

Hemp (Cannabis sativa L. ssp. sativa) has a long history of domestication due to its versatile use. Recently, different sectors in the economy are investigating hemp cultivation to increase agronomic production and to limit delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Despite the rapid growth of hemp literature in recent years, it is still uncertain whether the knowledge gained from higher latitude regions is applicable to low latitude and tropical regions where hemp has not been grown traditionally. This review provides a comprehensive and updated survey of hemp agronomy, focusing on environmental and management factors influencing the growth and yield of hemp, methods of cannabinoids detection and quantification, and hemp breeding. This review suggests that some previous claims about hemp as a low input crop may not hold true in low-latitude regions. Additional research strategies, such as the integration of experimentation and modeling efforts, are encouraged to hasten new discoveries. Furthermore, to effectively increase the outputs of value products (cannabinoids, seeds, fiber and biomass, etc.) while limiting the THC level, new collaborations between hemp agronomists and economists may streamline the production process by increasing the efficiency of the total production system of hemp as a multifaceted crop.

Inflorescence Yield, Essential Oil Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Cannabis sativa L. cv ‘Futura 75’ in a Multilocation and On-Farm Study

“…In addition, nutrient availability, such as nitrogen (N), is important for hemp growth and development as well as for the secondary metabolite content and inflorescence EO hydrodistillation yield [51][52][53][54][55]. Regarding nutrient availability, in the present study, significant variations in N availability were detected among the cultivation sites due to both the soil composition and cultivation practices adopted at the farm level (see Section 2.1).…”

Non-Destructive Near-Infrared Technology for Efficient Cannabinoid Analysis in Cannabis Inflorescences

“…The regulations that impose stringent limits on THC levels in cannabis genotypes, as seen in Europe with a threshold of 0.3%, present significant hurdles for the cultivation of non-psychoactive dominant varieties, such as CBD-dominant varieties. Considering these restrictions, breeding programs encounter substantial challenges when attempting to develop novel cultivars [ 29 ]. The risk of pollen contamination from a single THC-dominant plant can jeopardize the entire breeding initiative.…”

Impact of soil-residual herbicides on industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa) phytotoxicity and biomass yield in west Texas

“…In such a water-limited production system, introducing a new alternative crop, such as industrial hemp, creates challenges and opportunities (Moore 2020). Researchers focus on understanding the agronomic practices and environmental conditions favorable for profitable hemp production (Johnson 2018; Sunoj Valiaparambil Sebastian et al 2023), and the interest in cultivating the crop is increasing in the semi-arid West Texas (Moore 2020).…”