ReSEARCH 2016

June 2, 2016 - Planting DAy

Image of a grain drill planting hemp seeds in soil. A grain drill is used to deposit hemp seeds at the appropriate depth. For clay-heavy soils, we aim for 1/4"-1/2" depth.
Image of a hand full of hemp seeds Hemp seeds can vary in size based on variety. They are small, with some varieties containing over 30,000 seeds per pound.
Image of a young lady in a hat on a hemp plantation Leah Sandler conducted research on different varieties and how they perform in West Central Indiana.

June 14, 2016

Image of hemp seedlings with their first set of true leaves. The plants are bright green in color and are growing out of soil that has cracks from drying out. Seedlings have developed their first set of true leaves.
Image of hemp seedlings with sparse emergence. As the soil begins to dry out, a crust will form on the upper surface. This crust can prevent seedlings from emerging.
Image of two hemp seedlings. On the left the seedling is yellow in color and on the right the seedling is green. It is unclear what has caused the yellowing of the seedling on the left. It could be genetic.

June 28, 2016

Image of a hemp plot under dry soil conditions Soil has become dry and formed a crust. This has resulted in poor stand establishment.
IImage of a hemp plot under dry soil conditions This plot has poor establishment and numerous blank areas.
Image of two hemp plants. One plant appears to be standing upright and healthy while the other plant has wilted. Hemp can be attacked by many different root pathogens. This causes plants to wilt. While the soil can appear to be very dry on top due to a crust, there can still be soil moisture underneath the crust.

July 16, 2016

Image of a hemp plot with poor establishment Some hemp varieties perform better than others. This variety has poor establishment.
Image of a variety trial, with different plots containing different hemp varieties. Some plots are more established and have morphological differences. Hemp varieties are becoming easier to distinguish from each other at this stage.
Image of a young woman working on a hemp plantation
Image of a young man working on a hemp plantation

August 1-4, 2016

Image of two different hemp plots. The plot on the left is producing pollen and male plants are easily distinguishable from the female plants due to their white pollen sacs. Two different varieties can be observed in this photo. The variety on the left has begun to release large amounts of pollen. Male and female plants are easily distinguishable. The variety on the right has not begun to release pollen.
Image of a hemp plot that has male plants releasing whitish-yellow pollen and female plants with dark green flower buds. At this stage, the male plants are releasing pollen. Hemp is wind pollinated. The female plants have dense flower buds that will produce copious amounts of seeds.
Image of a hemp plot with excessive weed pressure. Multiple species of grasses are intermixed within the hemp plants. Weed management can be challenging in hemp. Both grasses and broadleaves are growing in this plot, competing for resources.
Image of a hand flicking a male hemp plot. A cloud of pollen can be observed. Hemp pollen travels through the wind to reach female plants. A simple agitation, like a flick of a finger can cause pollen to release.
Image of a honey bee flying up to a male hemp plant. Pollen can be observed on the bee's legs. While hemp does not produce nectar rewards, it does provide a protein source for pollinators. Honey bees can be observed on hemp.
Image of a bumble bee flying up to a male hemp plant to collect pollen. Pollen can be observed on the bee's legs. Bumble bees will also collect the pollen from hemp plants.
Image of a close up of the terminal end of a hemp plant. Large green fan leaves and smaller new leaves can be observed. Hemp will stay in the vegetative phase until a specific day length is reached. Hemp is a short-day plant, with flower development triggered as days become shorter and nights become longer.
Image of a green female hemp plant with dense flower bud. Female plants will develop seeds after pollination.
Image of a hemp plot with a no trespassing warning Many hemp researchers and growers place no trespassing signs in their fields. Sometimes hemp can attract unwanted attention.
Image of a man standing next to hemp plants that are over 6 feet tall and green. Dr. Ron Turco stands next to a hemp plot with plants over 6 feet tall.

August 17, 2016

Image of students in a a hemp field. Hemp research takes a team of faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students to plant, maintain, and collect data from.
Image of a grasshopper sitting on a hemp stalk with flowering structures on either side. Grasshoppers are often found in hemp fields. In Indiana, they don't seem to feed on the hemp plants. Grasshoppers have caused excessive damage in western states.
Image a hemp plant with dark mold growing from the seed head. Hemp is susceptible to pathogens that can cause molding in the flowering buds and seed heads.
Image of hemp leaves with numerous white spots with dark rings. Hemp is susceptible to many different leaf spot-causing pathogens.