Eighty Years of Studies on Industrial Hemp in the Po Valley (1930--2010)

Energy and environmental assessment of industrial hemp for building applications: A review

“…High yield variability is observed, for example, in Northern Italy where dry matter yields ranged from 8.3 to 18.7 t/ha over the years and in different locations [41]. Generally cellulose production is 7-10 t/ha [42]. The yield of the dry bast fibre varies from 1.2 to 3.0 t/ha, and seed yield from 0.7 to 1.8 t/ha.…”

Cultivation of low tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) Cannabis sativa L. cultivation in Victoria, Australia: Do we know enough?

“…The dichotomous seedlings will emerge from the soil within one week from sowing under favourable environmental conditions (Doorenbos et al, 1971). The seedlings are highly competitive as they germinate earlier than most summer annuals, grow rapidly and shade-out completion with dense, broad leaves (Zatta et al, 2012;Tang et al, 2017). During the seedling stage, C. sativa exhibits higher susceptiblity to pathogens, diseases and more established competition (Doorenbos et al, 1971;Rana and Chaoudhary, 2010).…”

“…This crop is native to central Asia, but there are now a wide range of different varieties found throughout the world, meaning that a vast number of environments are now suitable for its cultivation. It is the source of a diverse range of products and uses including fibre, grain, essential oils, biofuel, and phytoremediation services (Zatta et al, 2012), and this versatility makes C. sativa a valuable resource. Therefore, its legalization presents a great opportunity for Victorian agricultural and manufacturing industries to become leading producers and distributers of these economically valuable hemp products.…”

“…Cannabis sativa is considered to be a beneficial rotational crop as it improves the soil nutrient levels for subsequent winter crops, making it an ideal rotational plant . Mature plants have been identified to have a high resistance to pests and its broad leaves and fast growth rate repress weed invasions, thus requiring little or no herbicide or pesticide treatments (Nisson et al, 2010;Zatta et al, 2012;Mukhtar et al, 2013). It has high water and nitrogen use efficiency, requiring little irrigated water and lower quantities of fertilizers for production compared to other mainstream grain and fibre crops (Zatta et al, 2012;Tang et al, 2017).…”

“…Mature plants have been identified to have a high resistance to pests and its broad leaves and fast growth rate repress weed invasions, thus requiring little or no herbicide or pesticide treatments (Nisson et al, 2010;Zatta et al, 2012;Mukhtar et al, 2013). It has high water and nitrogen use efficiency, requiring little irrigated water and lower quantities of fertilizers for production compared to other mainstream grain and fibre crops (Zatta et al, 2012;Tang et al, 2017). However, despite this crop being low maintenance, its fibre and grain yields are highly dependent on environmental cues, and as a consequence, the initial task of finding the optimal cultivar for a particular environment can take a considerable amount of time and effort.…”