Evaluation of European-developed hemp cultivars (Cannabis sativa L.) in response to water regimes
Abstract
Aim of study: The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of water deficit on the growth and yield of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) cultivars under semi-arid Mediterranean conditions.
Area of study: Southern Greece, Athens.
Material and methods: Three different irrigation regimes (well-watered; IRR100, mild water-stressed; IRR75, and severe water-stressed; IRR50) were supplied to determine their effect on five hemp cultivars' growth, seed and cannabidiol (CBD) yield, and water productivity by a three-year field experiment.
Main results: Water deficit (IRR50) decreased plant height by 38.7%, 15.8%, and 18.7%, and above-ground biomass by 71.9%, 74.6%, and 27.7% during 2019, 2020, and 2021 years respectively, compared to IRR100. The IRR50 treatment reduced inflorescence length, seed weight per inflorescence, and seed yield by 19%, 27.6%, and 29.9% respectively. The longest inflorescences with the most seeds were performed by Cannabis sativa ʻFedora 17ʼ with mean values ranging from 35.1 cm to 36.8 cm, and 223 to 247 seeds per inflorescence across growing seasons. By increasing drought stress to IRR50, the cannabidiolic acid concentration increased thrice, and CBD and total cannabidiol (CBD total) concentrations were almost duplicated with Cannabis sativa ʻFerimonʼ recording the highest total CBD yield. All cultivars showed sensitivity to water deficit, reducing their water productivity and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index values. Cannabis sativa ʻFutura 75ʼ recorded the highest water productivity under all water regimes.
Research highlights: Water stress (IRR50) limited hemp biomass and seed yield, whereas enhanced CBD yield of inflorescences. ʻFutura 75ʼ cultivar is the most suitable for biomass production, ʻFerimonʼ cultivar for CBD production, and ʻFedora 17ʼ cultivar is appropriate for the dual-purpose production of both biomass and seed.
Downloads
References
Adesina I, Bhowmik A, Sharma H, Shahbazi A, 2020. A review on the current state of knowledge of growing conditions, agronomic soil health practices and utilities of hemp in the United States. Agriculture 10(4): 129. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10040129
Anderson SL, Pearson B, Kjelgren R, Brym Z, 2021. Response of essential oil hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) growth, biomass, and cannabinoid profiles to varying fertigation rates. PLoS One 16(7): e0252985. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0252985
Babaei M, Ajdanian L, 2020. Screening of different Iranian ecotypes of cannabis under water deficit stress. Sci Hortic 260: 108904. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2019.108904
Baldini M, Ferfuia C, Piani B, Sepulcri A, Dorigo G, Zuliani F, Danuso F, Cattivello C, 2018. The Performance and Potentiality of Monoecious Hemp (Cannabis Sativa l.) Cultivars as a Multipurpose Crop. Agronomy 8(9): 162. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy8090162
Blandinières H, Amaducci S, 2022. Adapting the cultivation of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) to marginal lands: A review. GCB Bioenergy 14(9):1004-1022. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12979
Burgel L, Hartung J, Pflugfelder A, Graeff-Hönninger S, 2020. Impact of growth stage and biomass fractions on cannabinoid content and yield of different hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) genotypes. Agronomy 10(3): 372. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10030372
Campbell BJ, Berrada AF, Hudalla C, Amaducci S, McKay JK, 2019. Genotype × environment interactions of industrial hemp cultivars highlight diverse responses to environmental factors. Agrosystems Geosci Environ 2(1): 1-11. http://dx.doi.org/10.2134/age2018.11.0057
Caplan D, Dixon M, Zheng Y, 2019. Increasing inflorescence dry weight and cannabinoid content in medical cannabis using controlled drought stress. HortScience 54(5): 964-969. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI13510-18
Cosentino SL, Riggi E, Testa G, Scordia D, Copani V, 2013. Evaluation of European developed fibre hemp genotypes (Cannabis sativa L.) in semi-arid Mediterranean environment. Ind Crop Prod 50: 312-324. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2013.07.059
Drastig K, Flemming I, Gusovius HJ, Herppich WB, 2020. Study of water productivity of industrial hemp under hot and dry conditions in Brandenburg (Germany) in the year 2018. Water 12(11): 2982. https://doi.org/10.3390/w12112982
Duong H, Pearson B, Anderson S, Berthold E, Kjelgren R, 2023. Variation in hydric response of two industrial hemp varieties (Cannabis Sativa) to induced water stress. Horticulturae 9(4): 431. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9040431
European Commission. Common Catalogue of Varieties of Agricultural Plant Species. Available online: https://op.europa.eu (accessed on 25 May 2024).
Ferrante A, Savin R, Slafer GA, 2020. Floret development and spike fertility in wheat: Differences between cultivars of contrasting yield potential and their sensitivity to photoperiod and soil N. Field Crops Res 256: 107908. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2020.107908
Ferfuia C, Zuliani F, Danuso F, Piani B, Cattivello C, Dorigo G, Baldini M, 2021. Performance and stability of different monoecious hemp cultivars in a multi-environments trial in North-Eastern Italy. Agronomy 11(7): 1424. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11071424
Flajšman M, Kocjan Ačko D, 2020. Influence of edaphoclimatic conditions on stem production and stem morphological characteristics of 10 European hemp (Cannabis Sativa L.) varieties. Acta Agric Slov 115(2): 399-407. https://doi.org/10.14720/aas.2020.115.2.1528
Gao C, Cheng C, Zhao L, Yu Y, Tang Q, Xin, P, Liu T, Yan Z, Guo Y, Zang, G, 2018. Genome-wide expression profiles of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) in response to drought stress. Int J Genomics 2018: 3057272. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/3057272
García-Tejero IF, Durán-Zuazo VH, Pérez-Álvarez R, Hernández A, Casano S, Morón M, Muriel-Fernández ML, 2014. Impact of plant density and irrigation on yield of hemp (Cannabis Sativa L.) in a Mediterranean semi-arid environment. J Agr Sci Tech 16:887-895. http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-9987-en.html
García-Tejero IF, Zuazo VD, Sánchez-Carnenero C, Hernández A, Ferreiro-Vera C, Casano S, 2019. Seeking suitable agronomical practices for industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) cultivation for biomedical applications. Ind Crop Prod 139: 111524. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2019.111524
Gill AR, Loveys BR, Cowley JM, Hall T, Cavagnaro TR, Burton RA, 2022. Physiological and morphological responses of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) to water deficit. Ind Crop Prod 187: 115331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2022.115331
Glivar T, Eržen J, Kreft S, Zagožen M, Čerenak A, Čeh B, Tavčar Benković E, 2020. Cannabinoid content in industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) varieties grown in Slovenia. Ind Crop Prod 145: 112082. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2019.112082
Herppich WB, Gusovius HJ, Flemming I, Drastig K, 2020. Effects of drought and heat on photosynthetic performance, water use and yield of two selected fiber hemp cultivars at a poor-soil site in Brandenburg (Germany). Agronomy 10(9): 1361. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10091361
Hesami M, Pepe M, Baiton A, Jones AMP, 2023. Current status and future prospects in cannabinoid production through in vitro culture and synthetic biology. Biotechnol Adv 62: 108074. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biotechadv.2022.108074
Jiang Y, Sun Y, Zheng D, Han C, Cao K, Xu L, Liu S, Cao Y, Feng N, 2021. Physiological and transcriptome analyses for assessing the effects of exogenous uniconazole on drought tolerance in hemp (Cannabis sativa L.). Sci Rep 11: 14476. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-93820-6
Karche T, Singh MR, 2019. The application of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) for a green economy: A review. Turk J Bot 43: 710-723. https://doi.org/10.3906/bot-1907-15
Kong B, Yu H, Du R, Wang Q, 2019. Quantitative estimation of biomass of alpine grasslands using hyperspectral remote sensing. Rangeland Ecol Manag 72(2): 336-346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2018.10.005
Krüger M, van Eeden T, Beswa D, 2022. Cannabis sativa cannabinoids as functional ingredients in snack foods–Historical and developmental aspects. Plants 11(23): 3330. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11233330
Kumar IMKV, 2021. Production and quality of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) in response to water regimes. Doctoral thesis. University of Tasmania, Australia.
Morgan W, Singh J, Kesheimer K, Davis J, Sanz-Saez A, (2024). Severe drought significantly reduces floral hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) yield and cannabinoid content but moderate drought does not. Environ Exp Bot 219: 105649. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2024.105649
Papastylianou P, Kousta A, Kakabouki I, Travlos I, Iliadi D, 2021. Nitrogen utilization efficiency and yield traits of dual-purpose industrial hemp cultivars in a Mediterranean environment. Arch Agron Soil Sci 69(1): 104-118. https://doi.org/10.1080/03650340.2021.1959551
Park SH, Pauli CS, Gostin EL, Staples SK, Seifried D, Kinney C, Vanden Heuvel BD, 2021. Effects of short-term environmental stresses on the onset of cannabinoid production in young immature flowers of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.). J Cannabis Res 4: 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-021-00111-y
Prochnow A, Drastig K, Klauss H, Berg W, 2012. Water use indicators at farm scale: methodology and case study. Food Energy Secur 1: 29-46. https://doi.org/10.1002/fes3.6
Scordia D, Papazoglou EG, Kotoula D, Sanz M, Ciria CS, Pérez J, Maliarenko O, Prysiazhniuk O, von Cossel M, Greiner BE, Lazdina D, Makovskis K, Lamy I, Ciadamidaro L, Grezeriat LP, Corinzia SA, 2022. Towards identifying industrial crop types and associated agronomies to improve biomass production from marginal lands in Europe. GCB Bioenergy 14(7): 710-734. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12935
Sikora V, Berenji J, Latković D, 2011. Influence of agroclimatic conditions on content of main cannabinoids in industrial hemp (Cannabis Sativa L.). Genetika 43(3): 449-456. https://doi.org/10.2298/GENSR1103449S
Spano M, Di Matteo G, Ingallina C, Sobolev AP, Giusti AM, Vinci G, Cammarone S, Tortora C, Lamelza L, Prencipe SA, Gobbi L, Botta B, Marini F, Campiglia E, Mannina L, 2022. Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) inflorescences as novel food: The effect of different agronomical practices on chemical profile. Foods 11(22): 3658. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11223658
Tang K, Fracasso A, Struik PC, Yin X, Amaducci S, 2018. Water- and nitrogen-use efficiencies of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) based on whole-canopy measurements and modeling. Front Plant Sci 9: 951. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2018.00951
Tang K, Struik PC, Yin X, Thouminot C, Bjelková M, Stramkale V, Amaducci S, 2016. Comparing hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) cultivars for dual-purpose production under contrasting environments. Ind Crop Prod 87: 33-44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2016.04.026
Tremblay N, Wang Z, Ma BL, Belec C, Vigneault P, 2009. A comparison of crop data measured by two commercial sensors for variable-rate nitrogen application. Precision Agric 10: 145-161. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11119-008-9080-2
Tsaliki E, Kalivas A, Jankauskiene Z, Irakli M, Cook C, Grigoriadis I, Panoras I, Vasilakoglou I, Dhima K, 2021. Fibre and seed productivity of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) varieties under Mediterranean conditions. Agronomy 11(1): 171. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11010171
Tzimas PS, Petrakis EA, Halabalaki M, Skaltsounis LA, 2021. Effective determination of the principal nonpsychoactive cannabinoids in fiber-type Cannabis sativa L. by UPLC-PDA following a comprehensive design and optimization of extraction methodology. Anal Chim Acta 1150: 338200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aca.2021.338200
Wulff HM, 2022. Growth and development of fibre hemp (Cannabis sativa L.). Master’s thesis. Lincoln University, New Zealand. 146 pp.
Copyright (c) 2025 Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
© CSIC. Manuscripts published in both the print and online versions of this journal are the property of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, and quoting this source is a requirement for any partial or full reproduction.
All contents of this electronic edition, except where otherwise noted, are distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. You may read the basic information and the legal text of the licence. The indication of the CC BY 4.0 licence must be expressly stated in this way when necessary.
Self-archiving in repositories, personal webpages or similar, of any version other than the final version of the work produced by the publisher, is not allowed.
