Abstract
Stem growth of the short-day plant fibre hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) decreases after flowering. In the Netherlands, the hemp cultivars currently available flower in August. In 1990 and 1991 the ambient daylength was compared with a 24-hour daylength in field experiments on two cultivars. Crop development, interception of photosynthetically active radiation, dry matter accumulation, stem yield and stem composition were recorded. The 24-hour daylength did not totally prevent flowering, but did greatly reduce the allocation of dry matter to floral parts. It enhanced the efficiency of post-flowering radiation use, and increased stem dry matter yield by 2.7 t ha-1. The continued stem growth resulted in higher yields, which in one cultivar were accompanied by a lower bark content of the stem. At final harvest, the 1 per cent NaOH solubility indicated a lower fibre content in the bark of plants from the 24-hour daylength. Breeding late-flowering hemp may be a promising strategy to improve the potential stem yield of hemp in the Netherlands, but the stem quality of such cultivars may be slightly poorer.
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