Hemp research

The potential of industrial hemp as a multi-product crop is vast. If you ask Zach Stancil of USDA Agricultural Research Service. Yet this geneticist acknowledges . Speaker2:there's still a lot Of challenges that we have to overcome. Speaker1: But industrial hemp was categorized as a controlled substance for nearly 50 years, until legalization of industrial hemp for agricultural purposes occurred through the 2018 farm Bill, and in particular from the research aspect of industrial hemp, there is much catching up to do. Speaker2: Hemp research is decades behind where it could be, and that, to me, implies we need to come together as a community and to crack open a lot of these questions and challenges with hemp as a team, as a community. Speaker1: Questions such as best hemp cultivars to breed for desirable traits such as drought resistance, and how pollination efficiency can be improved. In the latter case, hemp is pollinated not by insects but by wind. Speaker2: One thing that's been incredibly challenging to us is how do we exclude pollen during a routine seed regeneration? Our current approach is to use specialized growth chambers, where we can have confidence that we're filtering out any unwanted pollen from the air. We're also developing this technology called the hemp hut, that allows us to exclude pollen in a field condition. Speaker1: Stanshall's observation of hemp research involving a collaborative approach is actually coming to fruition through developing projects and relationships. Stanshall's facility in New York state works with other Ars labs across the country. Speaker2: Some of our closest collaborators are Encore in Peoria, Illinois, helping us evaluate thousands of individual plants for cannabinoids and terpenes and other molecules. We're also working with in New Orleans, Ars lab that specializes in fiber quality. They've worked a lot with cotton in the past, but they're retooling their pipeline to work with hemp right now. Speaker1: Stanshall's Ars lab is also working with researchers at nearby Cornell University and other land grant university labs to replicate work to better understand genetic diversity in hemp. Speaker2: We have very close collaborators at Washington State University, Oregon State University, UC Davis, Alabama A&M, Louisiana State University, University of Wisconsin, Madison. All of these groups are pushing really hard, and we're exchanging lots of seeds and other types of genetic materials to accomplish this work.