Planting Density and Fertilization Evidently Influence the Fiber Yield of Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.)

Abstract

Hemp is one of the most important green (i.e., environmentally sustainable) fibers. Planting density, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) significantly affect the yield of hemp fiber. By optimizing the above main four cultivation factors is an important way to achieve sustainable development of high-fiber yield hemp crops. In this study, the effects of individual factors and factor × factor interactions on the yield of hemp fiber over two trial years were investigated by the central composite design with four factors, namely planting density, nitrogen application, phosphorus application, and potassium application rate. The influences of these four test factors on the yield of hemp fibers were in the order nitrogen fertilizer (X2) > planting density (X1) > potassium fertilizer (X4) > phosphate fertilizer (X3). To obtain yields of hemp with high-quality fiber greater than 2200 kg ha−1, the optimal range of cultivation conditions were planting density 329,950–371,500 plants/ha, nitrogen application rate 251–273 kg ha−1, phosphorus application rate 85–95 kg ha−1, and potassium application rate 212–238 kg ha−1. This study can provide important technical and theoretical support for the high-yield cultivation of hemp fiber into the future.

Hemp Fertilization: Current Knowledge, Gaps and Efforts in Florida: A 2020 Report

“…Grain removal accounted for 45 lb N/acre, 21 lb P 2 O 5 /acre, and 11 lb K 2 O/ acre (Heard et al 2007). Other studies conducted in Italy and China generally agreed with such levels of nutrient uptake (Angelini et al 2014;Deng et al 2019).…”

“…The N requirement for hemp varies with the purpose of cultivation. Seed and flower may require N rates of up to about 200 lb per acre (Struik et al 2000;Vera et al 2010;Angelini et al 2014;Aubin et al 2015;Deng et al 2019), whereas when grown for fiber, 50 lb N/acre may be adequate, because too much N can reduce fiber quality. N application should preferably be applied in 2-3 split applications to enhance uptake and minimize leaching in sandy soils.…”

Evolution of the Polyphenol and Terpene Content, Antioxidant Activity and Plant Morphology of Eight Different Fiber-Type Cultivars of Cannabis sativa L. Cultivated at Three Sowing Densities

“…Hemp sowing densities are known to influence its fibre and oil content [ 10 , 11 , 12 ]. A low seeding density of 30 plants/m 2 is expected to favour the production of essential oils [ 13 ], a density of 150 plants/m 2 is expected to favour the production of seeds and oil, while a density of 300 plants/m 2 is favourable to the production of long fibres [ 14 ].…”

Effect of Fertilization and Weed Management on Weed Flora of Hemp Crop

“…However, experimental results confirm that hemp requires special attention to nutrition needs, especially nitrogen fertilization. Nitrogen has proved the major nutrient needed to positively influence crop productivity and plant quality characteristics (Aubin et al, 2015;Papastylianou et al, 2017;Deng et al, 2019). On the other hand, nitrogen fertilization not only affects crop development and yield, but also weed establishment and growth, as many weeds have high nitrogen demands (Blackshaw et al, 2003, Travlos et al, 2019.…”