Project AbstractThis project is a continuation of a previous hemp project that was led by Dr. Jan Slaski at InnoTech Alberta. These trials were built on the knowledge that was gained from the previous trials and the questions that couldn't be answered the first time around. This project combines the seeding rate and seeding date trials that were separate in the first project to study their interaction effects. The fertility trial determines the optimum rate and timing of fertilizer to maximum hemp fiber and grain yield. |
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Project Objectives
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Methods |
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These treatments were tested for Finola and Silesia strains of hemp. The hemp rate X date trial consisted of three seeding rates (100, 250, and 400 seeds m-2) and three timings of seeding (early, normal, and late) tested on Finola and Silesia strains.
Measurements
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Results
Preliminary results
Fertility Trial
Results from Vegreville and Lethbridge locations are presented since the crops at Falher could not be established due to poor growing conditions. Fertilization treatments did not show a statistically significant effect on the grain yield (p = 0.22; Figure 1), biomass (p = 0.52; Figure 2), and plant density (p=0.77) for either of the two strains.
However, despite the absence of statistical significance, an increasing trend was observed for biomass and yield of both hemp strains for certain treatments (for eg. Trt 9). Thus, the effect of N fertilization is expected to become clearer with the inclusion of additional site-years of data in the final report.
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| Figure 1. Effect of different N fertilization treatments on grain yield in Finola and Silesia hemp strains | Figure 2. Effect of different N fertilization treatments on biomass in Finola and Silesia hemp strains |
Rate x Date trial
Results from Vegreville, Lethbridge, and Falher locations for years 2019-2020 are presented here. Higher seeding rates led to higher stand density for both hemp strains (Figure 3), and higher biomass for the Finola strain (Figure 4). Hemp yield, however, was not found to be significantly different for different seeding rates (Figure 5).
Seeding time also affected hemp growth, biomass, and yield. Stand density was found to be higher for early and normal seeding compared to late seeding (Figure 3). Similarly, hemp biomass showed a decreasing trend with later seeding for both hemp strains (Figure 6), although the differences were not statistically significant for the Finola strain.
Grain yields were significantly higher for early seeding compared to the normal seeding time for the Finola strain (Figure 7), while no statistically significant differences in yield were observed at different seeding times for the Silesia strain. The preliminary results thus indicate that early seeding combined with higher seeding rate maybe the best strategies for maximum yield and biomass for hemp.
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| Figure 3. Effect of seeding rate (100, 250, and 400 seeds m-2) and seeding time (early, normal, and late) on hemp stand density | Figure 4. Effect of seeding rate on biomass of Finola and Silesia hemp strains |
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| Figure 5. Effect of seeding rate on grain yield of Finola and Silesia hemp strains | Figure 6. Effect of seeding time on biomass of Finola and Silesia hemp strains |
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| Figure 7. Effect of seeding time on grain yield of Finola and Silesia hemp strains |