Grants and Contracts Details
Description
Evaluation of Cornell cultivar performance in Kentucky
The University of Kentucky is participating as a regional location for the evaluation of
new hemp cultivars developed at Cornell University. This project is part of a long-term effort to
develop regionally adapted hemp cultivars for growers in the U.S.
Small plot trials – repeated in all three years
Seed will be provided by Cornell for two experimental hemp cultivars: GVA-H-21-1135,
a grain/dual purpose type and GVA-H-22-1061, a fiber type. Seeds will be planted at 15 seeds
per square foot for GVA-H-21-1135 and at 30 seeds per square foot for GVA-H-22-1061.
Planting de doen with a Great plains 3P0606NT cone drill at 0.5-0.8 inch depth into a chemically
killed wheat cover crop at 7.5 inch row spacing. Irrigation will be available if needed for plot
establishment and growth under excessive dry conditions. Conventional best management
practices will be utilized, including weed control using compatible herbicides such as Sonalan
10G, optimum fertilizer amendment (150 lbs N per acre and P & K according to soil test
recommendations (utilizing recommendations for corn). P and K will be applied preplant and N
will be applied 10 to 14 days after seeding.
Measurements will include stand counts after establishment (14 days), and then growth
measurements that can be used in variety description for AOSCA Variety Review, Plant Variety
Protection, and/or plant patent applications. Those will include the following vegetative
measurements: leaf dimensions, internode length, stem color, leaf color, days to male and female
flowering, biweekly height measurements, proportion of branching, stem grooves, male flower
color, calyx hairs, and proportion of off-types in the population. Regulatory sampling for THC
content will be conducted no more than 30 days before harvest in each replicated plot at each
site. Incidence of disease will be surveyed multiple times during the season in the KY.
Cannabinoid analysis will be conducted at Cornell in the lab of co-PI Rose.
For GVA-H-22-1061, retted straw weight will be the primary yield measurement – no
grain yield will be determined. When male plants have flowered and female flowers are just
emerging (no senescence of male plants yet), the stalks should be cut just above ground level
from the entire plot (5.6’ x 15’) using handheld hedge trimmer. Plant population, stalk heights,
and stalk diameters at the base of the stem are additional data that should be collected. Cut stems
can be loosely bundled and field retted for 3 to 4 weeks depending on conditions. They should
be rotated at least once to encourage proper retting of the entire stem. Once retted to brown/dark
brown, but not black color, the retted straw from the entire plot should be weighed. A ~1 kg
subsample of the retted stems from each plot should be oven dried to determine retted straw dry
weight. The retted stems will be decorticated to determine the bast:hurd ratio. Ground stem
material will be submitted for elemental analysis, including heavy metals.
For GVA-H-21-1135, grain will be hand harvested and stems will be cut and retted to
determine retted straw yield. Grain will be harvested when the seed heads contain ~75% brown
mature seed. For grain harvest, stalks will be cut at the base of the flower using pruners from the
entire (5.6’ x 15’) plots. Harvested grain heads will be placed in paper bags and air-dried in a
protected shed/barn or room with fans and dehumidifiers. After grain heads have been removed,
the stems will be cut just above ground level from the entire plot (5.6’ x 15’) using handheld
hedge trimmer. Plant population, stalk heights, and stalk diameters at the base of the stem are
additional data that will be collected. Cut stems will be loosely bundled and field retted for 3 to
4 weeks, weighed and subsamples collected from each plot and oven dried to determine straw
moisture content as described above.
Once heads have air dried, grain can be threshed from harvested flowers by hand or small
bundle thresher and subsequently cleaned by manual screening or seed blower to obtain grain
yields. Moisture content should be determined and yield standardized to 8% moisture content.
Dried grain samples will be sent to Cornell to collect additional grain quality assessments,
including seed size and shape, seed color, protein content, oil content, and thousand kernel
weight. Stems will be cut and retted, then retted straw weight will be determined for each plot.
The retted stems will be decorticated to determine the bast:hurd ratio.
Strip trials or additional sites – years 2 and 3
It is expected that additional seed will be available for trials in years two and three, which
can include seed drilled and mechanically harvested strip trials and/or small plot trials on
additional sites in Kentucky to evaluate genotype-by-environment interactions on different soil
types. If sufficient seed is available, we would include these cultivars in trials to determine the
seedling vigor and root development characteristics relative to other hemp grain and fiber
cultivars.
Status | Finished |
---|---|
Effective start/end date | 5/1/22 → 4/30/24 |
Funding
- Cornell University: $83,910.00
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