Knowledge Gaps Create Inconsistencies, Decrease Profits
To obtain the highest quality hemp fibers, growers must time harvesting correctly – fiber length, diameter and strength change as the hemp plant grows. However, while current guidance for harvesting timing is based on the genetics of hemp plants from Europe, growers in the U.S. primarily grow varieties originating from China, which has a longer growing season.
In addition, once harvested, the process for separating hemp fibers from the stem relies on a microbial process that is more efficient in some climates than others. Improper retting requires longer processing times, which increases cost and decreases fiber quality.
Because the successful growth of the still-emerging hemp industry requires consistency of material regardless of its origin, researchers led by Dr. David Suchoff, alternative crops extension specialist and assistant professor at North Carolina State University are studying the impacts of harvest time on fiber hemp yield and quality and developing knowledge and technologies for improving fiber processing.
Harvest Timing & Efficient Retting are Critical
The goal of hemp growers is to produce abundant, easily processable plant stems that contain high quality fibers, but knowledge about the connection between harvest time, environment and quality does not currently exist.
Harvesting hemp fibers involves a process known as retting, in which cut hemp is left in the field for microbes to digest the binding between fibers and the inner core of the plant stem. Improper retting requires longer processing times, which increases cost and decreases quality. Prior research and experience have shown that cool, arid conditions inhibit retting, so that hemp growers in states such as Montana may not produce fiber of the same quality as other locations.
This project will help address U.S. hemp grower and industry challenges in producing a consistent, well-retted crop and clarify the impacts of environment and harvest timing on fiber quality.