Researchers from Washington State University showcased their studies taking place on industrial hemp to a group of growers, producers and stakeholders as part of a joint field day with Oregon State University on July 26th.
Industrial hemp is a commodity crop that has many end use applications. Among many of these include using the seed for oil or cosmetics and the fibrous steam to create paper or clothing products.
Participants of the field day toured a research plot at the WSU Roza Farm where a trial is taking place to examine different varieties of hemp grown for production as essential oils. David Gang, a WSU professor of molecular plant sciences, shared about how the different varieties are being developed to understand which might be most resilient to disease and pests that can threaten the crop. He also showed how fiber and grain hemp perform with and without irrigation and the use of nitrogen management.
The group visited a local producer’s farm, where a small plot of three varieties of hemp were being grown as part of a WSU study to understand how the plant might be utilized as a cover crop and what it looks like to be grown in a commercial field.
The tour ended at WSU’s Irrigated Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Prosser, where partners at the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Germplasm Collection shared about their work to archive and distribute hemp seeds to be grown throughout the nation as they seek to build up the industry.
