Evaluation of Woven Agrotextiles in the Development of Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) in Greenhouse

Abstract

The effect of the reflection by a white agrotextile, in hemp cultivation, was evaluated on a greenhouse experiment during 2019. The experiments were laid out in a completely randomized design with two treatments (soil cover and control). The results indicated that the average temperature in the covered area section was 28.5ºC while in the uncovered area was 25.12ºC, during the experiment. Concerning height, higher plants up to 20 cm, were recorded on the covered area than the uncovered one. The highest specific leaf area (SLA) (58.39 cm2 g-1) was found on the covered area at 60 days after transplanting (DAT) compared to the uncovered area where a value of 50.4 cm2 g-1 was recorded. The absolute growth rate was higher during 20-60 DAT comparatively to control. The highest rate was observed about 50-60 DAT where it reached the value of 3.34 g day-1. Concerning root system, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) was only affected by the cover material. The number of inflorescences was not found to be affected by the cover material but the bud length and the cannabidiol (CBD) content were affected by the soil cover. The cannabinoids (CBD) content was 28.8% higher on covered area.

Keywords

• absolute growth rate
• cbd
• light below canopy
• plastic mulch
• specific leaf area.