Hemp is something that people are seeing more of whether it be in lotions, dispensaries, or even in dog treats. There are many uses for this plant besides what one may typically think. Phillip Alberti, a Research Program Manager at the University of Wisconsin Madison, is helping as one of the leaders of these hemp trials to see how much they can get out of these plants.
High Cannabinoid
One of the plots being studied at the Arlington research site is the high cannabinoid plants. These are plants that would be used mainly for CBD and CBG. In these trials they are looking for variety performance.
“We look at agronomics and look for which varieties are well suited for the region,” explained Alberti. “This is a multi-state project, with the main goal being to be able to develop harvest timelines and compliance schedules for the varieties and give growers experience trying new things.”
In these trials they have to keep the plants under 0.3% THC levels to maintain compliancy. They do tests throughout the flowering season to make sure that the plants are staying compliant under that 0.3%. This ensures that the plants can still be used for the intended purpose.
Alberti explained that one of the varieties they are working on is called “Badger G”. This variety is meant to have 0% THC. Having that 0% THC would allow growers to not need to wait on compliance testing and thus increase efficiency and save money.
Fiber
At the fiber trials, the plants were extremely tall and looked different than what was seen at the high cannabinoid trials. Alberti explained at the fiber trials they are looking to see how they can use the hemp in industrial settings.
“In the fiber trials we allow the plants to go to flowering then chop them down, allow it to dry then send it to processing. Once there, the plants will get separated into two components,” says Alberti. ” One of these is the bast fiber which can be used in textiles. The other is a Hurd, which can be used in construction and even to make paper products and more that there is still being research on.”
Alberti explained that processing is still being developed to see how these plants can reach their full potential. The hope is that they will be able to use this plant to as an alternative for certain materials.
Grain and Dual Purpose
As part of their trials, they are also growing plants that are used for the grain. Alberti says that these plants can be used for their oils much like soybean oil. With this they are looking for the grain yield.
With this grain they have some plants that they are trying to use as a dual purpose. These plants are designed to be used as both fiber and grain. This would help growers get the most out of their crop. When they harvest these plants, they take off the tops to get the grain, then go back and get the rest for the fiber. This trial is still in the early stages as they are still trying to be able to grow plants well for grain and fiber separately and just starting on the venture of combining them.
Feral
Members of the hemp research crew went around the Midwest and found hemp strains growing in the wild. Alberti explained that these are often called ditch-weed. In this trial they are looking to find positive traits in the plants. The hopes are that, like other crops grown, they can crossbreed with the field hemp and be able to increase yield and productivity of hemp plants.
Weeds and Pests
Alberti explained that with being a new crop that there are not many chemical options available to control pests and weeds. One chemical that was approved for hemp is applied in pre-emergence and is called Sonalan. “This product has already helped a lot,” says Alberti. As far as pests go, Alberti said that if it likes corn, it will also like hemp. Some of these pests include corn earworm, corn borer, and Eurasian hemp borer. As far as diseases, they look for white mold and gray mold throughout the growing season. These are two of the biggest diseases that pose a threat to hemp.
The Future
Phillip Alberti explains that recently there has been a shift from growing high cannabinoid hemp to growing hemp for grain and fiber. Having this shift is very exciting to him. He says it is opening up more doors to see the true potential for hemp as a crop. He explains that the row-crop skillset that farmers have here in the Midwest is great, as hemp requires the same growing practices. The one hurdle that they still have to get over is getting better at processing the plant. Alberti says that he is optimistic that it will get better and allow hemp to be a reliable crop in the future.
