Science of Hemp: Production & Pest Management – Second Annual Conference 2021

Auburn University College of Agriculture and Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station hosted the second annual Science of Hemp: Production & Pest Management Conference November 2021.

Below is the agenda, proceedings, and post-conference material. Please contact Katelyn Kesheimer for more information about the event.

Hemp (Cannabis sativa L. with <0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol content) is one of the oldest agricultural commodities and can be grown for fiber, grain, and cannabinoids. For most of the last century, C. sativa has been a Schedule I controlled substance in the United States. However, the 2014 and 2018 U.S. Farm Bills allowed hemp production under a pilot research program and a commercial program, respectively. As a result, there has been a huge resurgence in hemp production in the U.S. but without modern scientific data with which to maximize production.

The first meeting of the Science of Hemp: Production and Pest Management was held in Lexington, Kentucky in October 2019 and brought together agricultural scientists to share early data on hemp. COVID-19 derailed plans to hold a 2020 meeting, but we resumed in 2021 with a virtual meeting. The 2021 virtual meeting was hosted by Auburn University and took place on November 19th, 2021. One hundred twenty-nine participants joined us online for scientific presentations, breakout sessions, workshops, and poster and oral student competitions. Attendees presented 41 oral talks, 13 posters, 8 workshops, and 3 Lunch and Learns.

Discipline specific workshops (entomology, plant pathology, weed science, and agronomy) were offered by experts and designed for attendees to learn the basics of a discipline outside their own. Other workshop topics included greenhouse lighting, pesticide use, impact reporting, and biological control. Our Lunch and Learns were selected to help researchers extend hemp information to their communities. They included tutorials on creating infographics, teaching via Zoom, and livestreaming to social media.

We were excited to be able to hold a student competition for traditional oral presentations and Flash and Dash poster presentations. It is encouraging that the next generation of scientists are conducting valuable applied research on hemp. Eighteen students competed in the competitions and the top three in each oral and poster competition were awarded cash prizes. All students received feedback from judges on their presentations.

While we could not meet in person, the virtual event proved successful and concluded with a virtual social. Prizes were given for the best virtual background and winners of hemp trivia.

Sincerely,

Katelyn Kesheimer – Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, Auburn Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology

Nicole Gauthier – Professor, University of Kentucky Department of Plant Pathology

Kimberly Leonberger – Extension Associate, University of Kentucky Department of Plant Pathology

Proceedings

(by Author)

• Adedokun, O., Smith, H., Anthony, N., Szarka, D., Barnes, J., Dixon, E., and Gauthier, N., Evaluation of the Susceptibility of Hemp (Cannabis sativa) to Black Shank Disease of Tobacco (Phytophthora nicotianae)

• Akinrinlola, R., Gwinn, K., Wang, T., and Hansen, Z., Numerous Fungicides Suppressed Hemp Powdery Mildew in the Greenhouse in Tennessee

• Akotsen-Mensah, C., Industrial Hemp IPM updates in Missouri

• Alberti, P., Bolt, M., DeDecker, J., Ellison, S., and Esther Shekinah, D., Midwestern Hemp Research Collaboration: Participatory Cultivar Testing to Grow the Hemp Industry

• Anderson, E., Wilke, B., and Burns, E., Weed Control Study in Hemp Grown for Fiber in Michigan

• Barboza, N., Akinrinlola, R., Gwinn, K., Kelly, H., and Hansen, Z., Fusarium Species Associated with Hemp in Tennessee

• Bengyella, L., Di Gioina, F., Collins, A.A., and Kaminski, J.E., Development of Septoria disease in outdoor CBD-hemp production system

• Cala, A.R., Colin Day, C.T., and Smart, C.D., Exploration of the Host Range of Hemp Powdery Mildew

• Chawla, S., Geyer, E., Dhakal, R., Ren, S., and Mersha, Z., Fusarium Head and Bud Blight Detected on Hemp Varieties in Virginia

• Cockson, P., Pearce, R., Veazie, P., Davis, M., Logan, D., and Whipker, B.E., The Impacts of Manganese (Mn) on the Growth, Leaf Tissue Mn Concentration, and Cannabinoid Accumulation of Cannabis sativa L. (cv: ‘BaOx’) from Vegetative to Flowering

• Collins, A., Graybill, J., Clark, B., and Butler, B., Building Extension for Fiber and Grain Hemp Production in Pennsylvania

• Cornett, J.D., Welcome to the National Hemp Growers Cooperative

• Cosner, J. and Grant, J., Investigating Tactics to Manage Corn Earworm on Cannabis

• Darby, H., Mechanical Weed Control in Hemp Grain

• Davis, J., Suchoff, D., Post, A., and Bloomquist, M., Floral Hemp Variety Selection for North Carolina Outdoor Production: 2018-2021 Statewide Variety Evaluations

• Falcon-Brindis, A., Villanueva, R., Viloria, Z., and Bradley, C., Parasitism of Corn Earworm by Tachinid Flies in Industrial Hemp

• Gage, K. and Shikanai, A., Hemp-Weed Interactions

• Gauthier, N., Time of Infection and Host Susceptibility of Common Leaf Spots in Kentucky Hemp

• Gauthier, N. and Leonberger, K., Scouting for Disease: Pathology for Non-Pathologists

• Goodnight, K.M., Tian, P., and Bissonnette, K.M., Disease Firsts in the First Year of Hemp Production in Missouri

• Gwinn, K.D., Hansen, Z., Akinrinlola, R., Barboza, N., Kelly, H., and Ownley, B.H., Fusarium Diseases of Cannabis sativa: A Review

• Hatt, F.A., Genetic Transformation in Cannabis

• Hicks, K., Suchoff, D., and Whipker, B., Reference Plant Tissue Nutrient Ranges for Cannabis sativa

• Hirsch, K., Kelton, J., and Kesheimer, K.A., Herbicide Efficacy for Weed Control in CBD Hemp

• Jeong, H., Patalee, B., and Mark, T., An Analysis of Industrial Hemp THC in Kentucky

• Jones, K., Lee, M., Hatagan, R., Villalobos, J., Ownley, B.H., and Gwinn, K.D., Relationships Between Cannabis sativa and Epicoccum nigrum

• Keene, T., Leonberger, K., and Pearce, R., Summary of National Grain/Fiber Cultivar Trials

• Morgan, W.G., Davis, J., Kesheimer, K.A., and Sanz-Saez, A., Effect of Different Drought Intensity and Timing on Floral Hemp Photosynthesis and Cannabinoid Profiles

• Linder, E., Koss, S., and Suchoff, D., Assessment of Floral Hemp Planting Date and Density for Optimized Biomass Production

• Linder, E., Young, S., Li, X., Whipker, B., and Suchoff, D., Exploration of Temporal Cannabinoid and Biomass Production in Floral Hemp

• Lopez, G. and Jackson, J., Characterization of Hemp Hull Pellets

• Magdalena Ricciardi, M., Villanueva, R., Gauthier, N., and Pearce, R., Observations of Insect and Disease Pests on Field Grown Hemp in Kentucky

• Owsley, K., Kesheimer, K.A., and Pickens, J., Evaluation of Biological Insecticides Efficacy for Spider Mites on Greenhouse Hemp

• Owsley, K., Pickens, J., Kesheimer, K.A., and Olive, J., Phytotoxicity of Tolerant Exempt Pesticides on Cannabis sativa L. Hemp Transplants

• Patalee, B. and Mark, T., Economics of Hemp Production

• Pearce, R., Valentine, T., Keene, T., Sikora, F., and Hamilton, D., Cannabinoid Accumulation in Floral Hemp Cultivars: Implications for Harvest Management

• Richmond, M., Industrial Hemp Research in Tennessee: Dual-Purpose Cultivar Evaluation for Fiber and Grain Production

• Singh, R., Two New Diseases of Industrial Hemp in Louisiana

• Smith, H., Dixon, E., Yulfo-Soto, G., and Gauthier, N., Identification and Characterization of Fusarium spp. Affecting Kentucky Hemp

• Suchoff, D., Halker, A., and Henriquez Inoa, S., Evaluation of Chinese and Australian Fiber Hemp Varieties and Planting Dates in North Carolina

• Thweatt, I., Velez, A., and Kesheimer, K.A., Evaluating Nitrogen Rates on Plant Growth and Cannabinoid Content in Outdoor Hemp in Alabama

• Trostle, C., The Texas Two-Step with Hemp: Backward with CBD, Forward with Fiber

• Valentine, T. and Pearce, R., Impact of Planting Date and Seed Depth on Establishment, Growth, and Grain Yield of Hemp in Kentucky

• Veazie, P., Cockson, P., and Whipker, B., Magnesium’s Impact on Cannabis sativa ‘BaOx’ Growth and Cannabinoid Production

• Velez, A., Thweatt, I., and Kesheimer, K.A., Management Strategies for Corn Earworm, Helicoverpa zea, in Alabama Hemp

• Villanueva, R.T., Viloria, Z., Falcon-Brindis, A., and Bradley, C., Approaches to Conduct Balanced Studies on Hemp Russet Mites

• Viloria, Z., Falcon-Brindis, A., Bradley, C., and Villanueva, R.T., Evaluation of Biopesticides for the Management of Helicoverpa zea in Hemp

Abstracts & Research Presentations

For more information please download the Science of Hemp Conference document below. It includes 47 meeting abstracts (organized by author), oral presentations, and research posters.