Nutrient Uptake and Partitioning by Industrial Hemp

John Heard, Keith Watson and Jeff Kostiuk, Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives John.Heard@gov.mb.ca

Background Dry matter (DM) accumulation Micronutrient uptake

Total biomass exceeded 11500 lb/ac Zinc Accumulation Manganese Accumulation Iron Accumulation

Industrial hemp is grown under license in Canada for seed and/or fibre. with a grain yield of 927 lb/ac with a 0.20
0.40
1.2

Dry Matter Accumulation

Total Canadian production in 2006 was 50,770 acres with 28,960 acres in harvest index of 8.6%.
0.16 0.30
0.9

Mn lb/ac
Zn lb/ac

Fe lb/ac
0.12

Manitoba. Little local information exists on the fertility needs of the crop, 12000 0.08
0.20
0.6

and removal amounts may differ greatly whether grown for seed alone or for Greatest rate of DM accumulation was 0.04
0.10 0.3
10000
Seed in late July at 365 lb/ac/day
fibre The following study was initiated to track nutrient uptake through a 0.00
1- 15- 29- 13- 27- 10- 24- 7-
0.00
1- 15- 29- 13- 27- 10- 24- 7-
0.0
1- 15- 29- 13- 27- 10- 24- 7-
8000 Flower

DM lb/ac
Jun Jun Jun Jul Jul Aug Aug Sep Jun Jun Jun Jul Jul Aug Aug Sep Jun Jun Jun Jul Jul Aug Aug Sep
growing season, to observe partitioning within the plant and to establish Stem Rate of biomass accumulation slowed
6000 Copper Accumulation Boron Accumulation
removal amounts. Fallen leaf in August during flowering, with high 0.05 0.4

4000
Dual purpose hemp is combined with the cutter bar raised to remove the top Leaf temperatures and moisture stress. 0.04
0.3

Cu lb/ac
Some leaf senescence was observed.

B lb/ac
portion of the plant and leaving much of the stalk. The remaining stalk is 2000 0.03

0.02
0.2

swathed and allowed to “rett” or weather on the ground to separate fibres 0 0.1
Male plants (about 10% of stand) 0.01

from other stem tissue before baling (see photographs below). 1- 15- 29- 13- 27- 10- 24- 7- 0.00 0.0

Jun Jun Jun Jul Jul Aug Aug Sep cease growth and senesce after 1-
Jun
15-
Jun
29-
Jun
13-
Jul
27-
Jul
10-
Aug
24-
Aug
7-
Sep
1-
Jun
15-
Jun
29-
Jun
13-
Jul
27-
Jul
10-
Aug
24-
Aug
7-
Sep

flowering.
Micronutrient uptake was small with Fe >Mn>B>Zn>Cu.
Primary nutrient uptake •Iron (Fe) appeared to increase through grain fill but is likely a result of soil
Nitrogen Accumulation Total nitrogen (N) uptake was 180 lb/ac with 36 contamination on fallen leaves
200 lb N/ac in the grain. •Zn and Cu appeared to translocate from vegetative tissue and accumulate in
Method 150 •Maximum rate of N uptake was 6.0 lb N/ac/day the seed, whereas Mn, Fe and B remained in vegetative tissue.

N lb/ac
during rapid vegetative growth in late July.
A commercial 160 acre hemp field in northwestern Manitoba near Dauphin 100
Influence of retting on nutrient removal
was selected for the study. The soil was a moderately well drained Gilbert 50 •Some 53 lb N/ac disappeared from vegetative
sandy loam. The field had previously been cropped to oats and alfalfa hay. tissue between flowering and maturity with 35 lb For fibre harvest, the stalks are swathed and left in the fields to “rett” or for
0
N/ac moving into the seed. fibres to loosen. During this weathering process nutrients may be leached
The cultivar USO 31 was seeded on May 12, 2007 at 35 lb/ac with a 1- 15- 29- 13- 27- 10- 24- 7-
Jun Jun Jun Jul Jul Aug Aug Sep
from the stalk into the soil. The following table shows the yield and nutrient
zero-till air seeder in 10” wide rows with a 3” wide seed spread. The
Phosphorus Accumulation content of hemp stalks sampled from this field. It is apparent that despite
previous fall 135 lb K2O/ac was broadcast followed by 60 lb N, 33 lb P2O5
Total phosphorus (P) uptake was 42 lb P2O5/ac high uptake of potassium, very little is actually removed when hemp is
and 10 lb S/ac in a mid-row band at seeding. Combine harvest of the entire 50

with 40% in the grain. allowed to rett in the field.

field on September 19 averaged 950 lb/ac of clean seed. 40

P2O5 lb/ac
•Rate of P uptake was 1.4 lb P2O5/ac/day in late Stalk sample Stalk Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium Sulphur
Plants were sampled from a 3 m row length on a 2-week schedule (see 30
time and form Yield
figures below) in a RCBD sampling pattern with 2 replicates. Above-ground 20 July and later accumulated in grain at 0.54 lb Nutrient Content (%) and Amount (lb/ac)
Lb/ac
parts were sampled, partitioned, dried, chopped and ground for nutrient 10 P2O5/ac/day.
September 7 7730 lb/ac 0.87 %N 0.07 % P 0.97 %K 0.07 %S
analysis by ALS Labs. Flower material was considered the reproductive 0
1- 15- 29- 13- 27- 10- 24- 7- Standing 67 lb N/ac 13.2 lb P2 O5/ac 90 lb K2 O/ac 5.0 lb S/ac
portion of the head and the chaff after threshing the seed. The August 9 Jun Jun Jun Jul Jul Aug Aug Sep

sampling had excessive leaf loss in handling and data is not shown here. October 16 4060 0.62 %N 0.05 %P 0.54 %K 0.07 %S
Potassium Accumulation Standing 25 lb N/ac 4.6 lb P2 O5/ac 26 lb K2 O/ac 2.8 lb S/ac
Fallen leaves were captured for later sampling dates.
200 The rate of potassium (K) uptake during 126 cm
vegetative growth in July was 5.4 lb October 16 Assumed 0.72 %N 0.06 %P 0.11 %K 0.06 %S
150
K2O/ac/day. The greatest K uptake was 188 lb Retted 4060 29 lb N/ac 5.5 lb P2 O5/ha 5.3 lb K2 O/ac 2.4 lb S/ac
K2O lb/ac

June 26 July 12
100 K2O/ac in late July at the start of flowering. By
354 GDD 546 GDD 50
maturity, K content had declined by 59 lb Discussion
35 cm 90 cm K2O/ac with only 9 lb K2O/ac removed in the
0
grain. The magnitude of nutrient uptake was similar to that observed in earlier
Vegetative Vegetative 1- 15- 29- 13- 27- 10- 24- 7-
Jun Jun Jun Jul Jul Aug Aug Sep
Manitoba studies (1.) The rapid hemp growth that occurred in July caused
most nutrients to be taken up at high rates. Nutrient accumulation slowed
Secondary nutrient uptake after this period for a number of possible reasons:
Sulphur Accumulation • Male plants comprise about 10% of the population and they cease growth and senesce
after pollination.
July 27
15
Total sulphur (S) uptake was 12.5 lb
• Several days exceeding 30 oC and low soil moisture occurred in early August leading to
782 GDD 10 S/ac with 20% in the grain. some lower leaf senescence. Not all senescing leaves may have been captured during
S lb/ac

215 cm August 9 5 •S appeared to be translocated from our sampling.

Flower 971 GDD leaves to the grain. • Stalk growth generally slows during flowering but resumes during seed development.
Initiation 215 cm 0
1-
Jun
15-
Jun
29-
Jun
13-
Jul
27-
Jul
10-
Aug
24-
Aug
7-
Sep Although the hemp crop takes up a considerable quantity of nutrients, most
Pollination Calcium Accumulation remain in the stalk owing to the low harvest index and a low amount is
120 Calcium (Ca) uptake was greater than removed in grain (the exception being P). With the retting process in the
90 expected field, the majority of the potassium taken up and apportioned in the stalk
Ca b/ac

60
•Most Ca was present in leaves appears be leached out. This does have some agronomic implication as
30
(53%), stem (33%) and flower (12%) potassium is concentrated under swaths.
August 23 September 7
1105 GDD
0
with very little accumulation in the
1258 GDD 1-
Jun
15-
Jun
29-
Jun
13-
Jul
27-
Jul
10-
Aug
24-
Aug
7-
Sep
seed.
References
245 cm 240 cm Magnesium Accumulation
Seed filling Mature 1. Heard, J. 2001. Industrial hemp seed fertility: Summary of Manitoba studies. In
` 60

Proceedings of 44th Annual Manitoba Soil Science Society Meetings. Winnipeg. 2001.
45
Greatest magnesium (Mg) uptake was pp. 180-185.
Mg lb/ac

30
52 lb Mg/ac with 8% in the grain.
15 Acknowledgements
0 Covering New Ground Parkland Crop Diversification Foundation
1- 15- 29- 13- 27- 10- 24- 7-
Jun Jun Jun Jul Jul Aug Aug Sep ALS Laboratory Group