Abstract
Hemp has been an important crop throughout human history for food, fiber, and medicine. Despite significant progress made by the international research community, the basic biology of hemp plants remains insufficiently understood. Clear objectives are needed to guide future research. As a semi-domesticated plant, hemp has many desirable traits that require improvement, including eliminating seed shattering, enhancing the quantity and quality of stem fiber, and increasing the accumulation of phytocannabinoids. Methods to manipulate the sex of hemp plants will also be important for optimizing yields of seed, fiber, and cannabinoids. Currently, research into trait improvement is hindered by the lack of molecular techniques adapted to hemp. Here we review how addressing these limitations will help advance our knowledge of plant biology and enable us to fully domesticate and maximize the agronomic potential of this promising crop.
Highlights
Hemp has been an important crop throughout human history for food, fiber, and medicine
While we focus on traits to improve hemp yield, these target research topics, in the long term, will reveal important information about basic plant biology and domestication
Due to the diverse nature of raw products produced from hemp, research targeting hemp yield traits will improve our understanding of basic plant biology
Summary
Abbreviations;: n.d., no data. aCurrent as of February 16th, 2017 and considers CBD-only or high CBD/low THC formulations. bOrphan drug designation. While we focus on traits to improve hemp yield, these target research topics, in the long term, will reveal important information about basic plant biology and domestication. Future Directions for Hemp Research Hemp is a genetically diverse and variable crop that produces raw products in three distinct categories: seed/oil, fiber, and metabolites. We highlight key research areas which increase grower yield or product quality for processors. Due to the diverse nature of raw products produced from hemp, research targeting hemp yield traits will improve our understanding of basic plant biology. Unlike previously domesticated crops [26,27], selection for increased hemp yield provides a unique opportunity to study plant domestication for grain, fiber, and chemistry traits. Unlike most other crops, these valuable characteristics can be studied within a single species for which they are essential to sustainable and profitable production
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