The influence of seeding rate on the accumulation of cannabinoids in hemp in the southern forest-steppe of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia

Bashkir State Agrarian University, 34, 50th anniversary of October Street, Ufa, Republic of Bashkortostan, 450001, Russian Federation

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Abstract

The article presents the results of a study to determine the content of the main cannabinoids in industrial hemp grown in the southern forest-steppe zone of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia. The aim of the study was to analyze the effect of seeding rate on the concentration of cannabidiol, cannabichromene, tetrahydrocannabinol, and cannabinol in the inflorescences of the Vera, Nadezhda, Surskaya, and Omegadar-1 varieties. CBD was found to be the dominant phytocannabinoid. The THC content in all samples did not exceed 0.05%, which meets the requirements for industrial hemp (<0.1%). It was shown that an increase in the seeding rate from 0.9 to 2.6 million seeds/ha leads to a reliable decrease in the concentration of all the studied compounds: THC by 42%, CBD by 28%, CBC by 36%, and CBN by 29%. A significant dependence of cannabinoid accumulation on hydrothermal conditions was revealed. In dry years (hydrothermal coefficient of 0.3), their content increased by 18–25% compared to years with favorable moisture conditions. All studied varieties meet the criteria for industrial hemp. To guarantee the production of raw materials with minimal THC content, it is recommended to use seeding rates of at least 1.8 million viable seeds per hectare.