2003 HEMP REPORT
Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) Cultivar Test
Cecil L. Vera1
1Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Saskatoon Research Centre - Melfort Research
Farm
P.O. Box 1240
Melfort, SK S0E 1A0
General information
Six early to medium maturing hemp cultivars were grown at the Melfort Research Farm, Melfort, SK, in 2003, in co-operation with the Saskatchewan Hemp Association and Hemp Oil Canada Inc.
The trial was seeded on 23 May 2003, in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications, on a wheat stubble field. Plot size was 1.37m x 4.2 m. Seeding rate was 40 kg/ha and seeding depth was approx. 1.0 in. Fertilizer rate was 40 kg/ha of mono-ammonium phosphate (11-51-0), applied with the seed.
Spring soil
moisture was adequate for germination and early plant development, as April,
May and June had better than normal precipitation. However, conditions became
and stayed dry after the middle of July, resulting in early maturity. This
weather pattern favored the early maturing cultivars.
Results
The following parameters were measured (see Table 1): Days to flower initiation, days to seed maturity, plant height, total plant dry matter, seed yield, green seed proportion, test weight, seed weight and THC content
Flowering: Finola was the earliest cultivar to flower and Anka the latest. There was a difference of 29 days between these two cultivars.
Maturity: There was certain correlation between flowering and maturity, and Finola was the earliest cultivar to mature, while Anka was the latest. There was a difference of 30 days between these two cultivars.
Plant height: The average plant height in 2003 was 172 cm, much taller than the 40 cm recorded in 2002, and a reflection of the improved moisture conditions of 2003. There was some correlation between earliness and plant height. Finola, the earliest cultivar, was by far the shortest cultivar. All late cultivars tended to be taller.