Abstract
Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is an emerging high-value specialty crop that can be cultivated for either fiber, seed, or cannabidiol (CBD). The demand for hemp and its products has been consistently on the rise in the 21st century. The United States of America (USA) has reintroduced hemp and legalized its production as an agricultural commodity through the 2018 Federal Farm Bill. Although there is a renewed interest in the adoption of hemp due to the emerging market, its production in the United States (US) remains limited partly because of unclear agronomic guidance and fertilization recommendations. This review article provides information on the current agronomic management practices that are available in the literature and identifies the future research needs for cultivating this multipurpose crop to address the growing market demands. Hemp production could be beneficial if managed properly. Hemp fertilizer requirements vary in accordance with the type of hemp grown (seed, fiber, or CBD), soil, environmental conditions and requires a wide range of macro- and micronutrients. Integrating management practices in hemp cultivation intended to build soil health is promising since the hemp cropping system is suitable for crop rotation, cover cropping, and livestock integration through animal waste applications. Hemp also has significant environmental benefits since it has the potential to remediate contaminated soils through phytoremediation, convert high amounts of atmospheric CO2 to biomass through bio-sequestration, and hemp biomass for bioenergy production. This review identifies that most of the agronomic research in the past has been limited to hemp fiber and, to some extent, hemp seed but not CBD hemp. With the increase in the global markets for hemp products, more research needs to be conducted to provide agronomic guidelines for sustainable hemp production.
Highlights
Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) or hemp production has recently been the subject of increasing interest around the world, especially in the United States
This review indicates that there is a renewed interest in the adoption of hemp, its production in the United States of America (USA) remains limited partly because of unclear agronomic guidance and fertilization recommendations, especially for CBD hemp in different soil and environmental conditions
Hemp cultivation requires intensive management, and environmental conditions like seedbed preparation, soil type, day length, seeding rates, dates, harvest dates, etc., are all impacted by the type of hemp variety employed
Summary
Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) or hemp production has recently been the subject of increasing interest around the world, especially in the United States. Hemp is a dioecious annual wind-pollinated crop with separate male and female plants, and occasionally monoecious. Hemp production is legal in states in the US and it is cultivated for commercial or research purposes in at least countries in the world. The diverse range of products that a hemp plant could produce has drawn the attention of a variety of industries. These include agriculture, textile, automotive, construction, bio-fuel, oil, cosmetics, pharmaceutical industry, etc. The overall aim of this review is to (1) provide the current state of knowledge and agronomic management practices involved in growing hemp for fiber, seed, and CBD, and (2) to identify the research needs to improve sustainable hemp production
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