Title:
Topping Industrial Hemp to Uniform Plant Height and Facilitate Seed Harvesting
Author(s):
Montanari, M., Santangelo, E., Assirelli, A., Fischetti, E., Del Giudice, A., Civitarese, V., Suardi, A., Manganiello, R., Scarfone, A.
Document(s):
Paper
Poster
Abstract:
Topping is an innovative agronomic practice in hemp cultivation aimed at limiting the height growth. This intervention involves removing the apical parts of the plants during the vegetative growth stage, stimulating lateral growth and greater branching. The effects of topping on hemp are manifold: on one hand, it promotes the formation of a denser and more uniform canopy, thus increasing the photosynthetic surface area and, consequently, the productive potential and the seed-harvestability with conventional combines. On the other hand, topping affects the chemical quality of the inflorescences, influencing the concentration of cannabinoids and terpenes, key elements for the therapeutic and industrial use of hemp. Therefore, topping may represent a key element in the agronomic management of hemp, implying a balance between productivity and quality, and necessitating a personalized analysis and application based on the cultivated varieties and production goals. In the view of facilitating the hemp harvesting using conventional combines, this work aims at evaluating the effects of topping on the final plant height in a cultivation of Northern Italy with the hemp variety Codimono. In this preliminary study, field data are compared with topped and untopped hemp in one year experimentation.
Keywords:
harvesting, hemp, seeds
Topic:
Sustainable Resources for Decarbonising the Economy
Subtopic:
Biomass resources and potentials
Event:
33rd European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
1CV.2.2
Pages:
150 - 153
ISBN:
978-88-89407-25-7
Paper DOI:
10.5071/33rdEUBCE2025-1CV.2.2
Price:
FREE
