Grain, Dual Purpose, and Fiber Production
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In 2019, hemp grain and fiber trials were established in three locations in Central New York (Table 1). All locations are part of Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station or Cornell AgriTech. Data presented in this report consist of grain and fiber yield, cannabinoid content, and grain quality components. Analysis for mycotoxin concentration has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Location | Latitude | Planting date | Soil type | Natural Drainage Class* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freeville, NY (ORG) | 42.52 N | June 5 | Howard gravelly loam | Well drained |
| Geneva, NY (RN) | 42.88 N | June 12 | Lima loam | Moderately well drained |
| Ithaca, NY (MG) | 42.45 N | June 11 | Williamson v. fine sandy loam | Moderately well drained |
* Tile drainage in most fields.
Information in this report was collected due to the efforts and collaborations of many faculty, staff, and students at Cornell University:
- SIPS Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section:
- Chris Smart’s Lab: Ali Cala, Colin Day, Garrett Giles
- Gary Bergstrom’s Lab: Jen Starr and Kevin Meyers
- SIPS Horticulture Section:
- Larry Smart’s Lab: Rebecca Wilk, Craig Carlson, Deanna Gentner, George Stack, Jacob Toth, Ben DeMoras, Reagan Reed, Mariana Marrero, Teagan Zingg
- Alan Taylor’s Lab: Michael Loos
- SIPS Plant Breeding and Genetics Section:
- Don Viands’ Lab: Julie Hansen, Jamie Crawford, Jesse Chavez, Ryan Crawford, Jason Schiller, Jay Johnson, Josh Knecht, Gabriel Sanchez, Johanna Gertin, Sabrina Giaimo, Dana Gong, Julie Houser, Nikolia Kanaris, Tiffany Lam, Yanni Ramirez, Jackson Santander, and Brian Zhong
- SIPS Plant Biology Section:
- Joss Rose’s Lab: Glenn Philippe, Stephen Snyder
Methods
Replicated hemp grain, dual purpose (grain and fiber), and fiber trials were planted using a small plot cone seeder. Plots were six rows wide, with 7.5 inches (19.05 cm) between rows, resulting in plots that were 45 in (114.3 cm) wide and 20 ft (6.1 m) long. Trials were planted in a randomized complete block design with four replicates and were analyzed using standard ANOVA (analysis of variance).
Seeding rates were 20 pure live seeds (PLS)/ft2 for grain and dual-purpose cultivars and 40 PLS/ft2 for fiber cultivars with the intention of having 15 seedlings/ft2 in the grain and dual-purpose trials and 30 seedling/ft2 in the fiber trials. Trials were fertilized prior to planting with 75 lbs of nitrogen/acre as 22-9-9 and then, at three weeks, top dressed with 75 lbs/acre of nitrogen as ammonium sulfate (21-0-0). The organic Freeville cultivar trials were amended with 70 lbs of nitrogen/acre as 5-4-3 pelleted composted chicken manure prior to planting.
The cultivars included in the trials, as well as seed purity, germination rate, and gram weight per one thousand seeds are found in Table 2. We were unable to provide documentation proving that cultivars from CN Kenaf & Hemp Seed Farm were untreated and so were unable to include those nine entries in the Freeville organic trials. CN Kenaf & Hemp Seed Farm is in Zhangpu County in the southern Fujian province, People’s Republic of China. Zhangpu County is located at latitude 24.117° N, comparable to that of Key West, Florida. These nine cultivars were photoperiod sensitive and flowered too late in the season to produce seed in NY at 42° N. Although most were purported to be grain cultivars, we did not know prior to planting how these cultivars would perform, so all were planted at the lower seeding rate in the grain/dual-purpose trials. Due to the disparity in flowering time, data collected on these cultivars are presented separately.
Two to three weeks after planting, seedling counts were conducted. Throughout the growing season, weed pressure, flowering date, incidence of disease and insects, and height were measured. Within 14 days of harvest, the top 5 cm (2 inches) from 10 female plants per plot were sampled for cannabinoids. The inflorescences were dried at 35°C for 10-12 days and then ground for analysis with UV-HPLC. Harvest dates for all locations are found in Table 3.
Fiber trials were harvested between flowering and seed set with sickle bar mowers. Biomass was spread out in an even layer for field retting and monitored until fully retted. The retted plots were again weighed and sampled for percent dry matter. Yields are reported as retted stem dry weight in tons per acre.
Grain and dual-purpose trials were harvested with an Almaco SPC20 plot combine or a Hege 125 plot combine when all cultivars had at least 60% mature seed. Harvested grain was dried in forced air ovens at 35oC until a stable moisture was achieved (6-8% moisture) and then cleaned to remove immature seeds and weed seeds. Samples from the cleaned grain were analyzed for test weight, thousand kernel weight (TKW) and quality components. Using near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS), equations have been developed to predict quality components, including crude protein, fiber as neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and fatty acid profile. Selected samples were sent to Dairy One to refine and further validate the NIRS equations.
| Location | Grain | Dual Purpose | Fiber – green | Fiber – retted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freeville, NY | 8/29 | 9/9 | – | – |
| Geneva, NY | 9/5 | 9/10 | 8/22 | 11/21 |
| Ithaca, NY | 9/6 | 9/13-9/16 | 8/22 | 9/20 |
Results
Fiber Trials
Seedling counts
For the fiber trials, seed germination rates for the cultivars in the fiber trials ranged from 37 to 81%. Seeding rates were corrected so that the same number of viable seeds were planted in each plot. Bird feeding after planting in the Freeville organic trial led to stands averaging 1.3 seedlings per square foot and so the trial was abandoned. Stand counts in seedlings per square foot ranged from 20.1 – 31.3 in Geneva and 22.0 – 26.5 in Ithaca.