Alternative ground covers and strip-tilling in CBD hemp production

Erika Osorio; Benjamin Fisher; Matt Foster; Brian Voigt; Eric J B von Wettberg

doi:10.1186/s13104-023-06551-4

Alternative ground covers and strip-tilling in CBD hemp production

BMC Res Notes. 2023 Oct 4;16(1):252. doi: 10.1186/s13104-023-06551-4.

Authors

Erika Osorio¹, Benjamin Fisher², Matt Foster³, Brian Voigt⁴, Eric J B von Wettberg^{5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Statistics, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA.
² Four Suns Farm, Bridport, VT, USA.
³ Department of Plant and Soil Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA.
⁴ Gund Institute for the Environment, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA.
⁵ Department of Plant and Soil Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA. ebishopv@uvm.edu.
⁶ Gund Institute for the Environment, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA. ebishopv@uvm.edu.

Abstract

Objective: Little research has been done on managing soil health for large-scale, outdoor hemp production, contributing to the possible overuse of black plastic for weed suppression. Our experiment aimed to understand the performance of alternative ground covers including forage crops and hay as well as a less disruptive tilling method called strip-tilling compared to black plastic.

Results: Yield and soil health data were taken from three experimental plantings from two different outdoor CBD hemp farms in Vermont, USA. We find that hay may be a competitive alternative to black plastic in terms of producing heavier plants. Our research also found that clover seed and hay are both more cost-effective options than black plastic which may sway some farmers to adopt these alternative ground cover options.

Keywords: Black plastic; CBD Hemp; Carbon sequestration; Clover; Experimental design; Forage crops; Ground cover; Hay; Soil health; Strip-tilling; Understory companion crops; Vermont.

MeSH terms

Cannabis*
Crops, Agricultural
Farms
Seeds
Soil

Substances

Soil

Grants and funding

one19-329/Northeast SARE