Fibre and seed productivity of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa l.) varieties under mediterranean conditions

Abstract

Farmers’ interest in renewable raw materials such as hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) fibres has recently increased, but hemp productivity is strongly affected by genotype and environment conditions. A 3-year field experiment was conducted under Mediterranean environment in northern Greece to evaluate the productivity (regarding fibres and seeds) of six monoecious hemp varieties. The vars. Futura 75 and Bialobrzeskie provided the greatest (p < 0.01) fibre productivity (4.57 and 4.27 t ha−1, respectively), which were 77.1% and 65.5%, respectively, greater than that of the least productive var. Fedora 17. However, the vars. Santhica 27, Tygra and Bialobrzeskie provided the highest (p < 0.05) seed yield (2.7, 2.9 and 2.6 t ha−1, respectively), which were 28.6%, 38.1% and 23.8%, respectively, greater than that of the least productive var. Futura 75. Hemp fibre yield was strongly positively correlated with total biomass (R2 = 0.8612) and stem biomass yield (R2 = 0.9742), while it was inversely correlated with fibre strength (R2 = 0.424). Hemp seed yield was not correlated with the hemp plant density, height, total biomass or stem biomass yield. The six hemp genotypes evaluated in the study had ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content lower than 0.2% satisfying the European legislation requirements for industrial hemp varieties. The results of the study indicated that, under Mediterranean conditions (northern Greece), the var. Bialobrzeskie showed high productivity, as averaged across years, for both fibres and seeds. This result is very helpful for farmers which should prefer hemp varieties of dual-purpose production (stems and inflorescences or stems and seeds) adapted best to their local environment. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.