Abstract

Hemp is a non-psychoactive variety of Cannabis sativa L. The crop is one of historical importance in the U.S. and re-emerging worldwide importance as medical providers and manufacturers seek hemp as a renewable and sustainable resource for a wide variety of consumer and industrial products. Hemp grown for all types of end-use (health supplement, fiber, and seed) contains less than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Some hemp varieties intended to produce a health supplement contain relatively high concentrations of a compound called cannabidiol (CBD), potentially 10-15%. The compound CBD has purported benefits such as relief from inflammation, pain, anxiety, seizures, spasms, and other conditions. The CBD compound is the most concentrated in the female flower buds of the plant, however, it is also in the leaves and other plant parts as well.

To produce hemp for flower, the plant is generally grown intensively as a specialty crop and the flowers are cultivated for maximum growth. The various cannabinoids and terpenes concentrated in the flower buds are often extracted and incorporated into topical products (salves, lip balm, lotion) and food and is available in pill capsules, powder form, and more, which can be found in the market today. To help farmers succeed, agronomic research on hemp is needed in the United States. University of Vermont, in partnership with the CASE Institute (https://www.caseinstitute.org/), evaluated 27 different hemp varieties for their growth habit, pest tolerance, flower yields, and flower quality. Please note that there are 3 autoflower varieties, which are included for comparison with the full-term plants. They are not part of the statistical analysis, which is why they are not part of the full-term hemp cultivar count.

Keywords

Vermont, University of Vermont, hemp, hemp flower, CBD

Publication Date

2020

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