Italy-grown hemp: yield, composition and cannabinoid content

Following the program of the Italian Administration for the reintroduction of hemp cultivation in Italy, many problems arose concerning the agricultural aspects, the processing of the raw material (usually hemp roundbales) and the presence of cannabinoids in the hemp crop, This study was set in order to answer some of these questions. In 1998, eight hemp varieties (three dioecious Italian genotypes and five monoecious French genotypes) were grown in Ferrara province, Italy by the AASM. The hemp was harvested at two different periods. The stems were analysed and dry-mechanically treated at the Centro Tecnico Industriale of IPZS in Roma and the cannabinoid content analysis was performed at the ISCI, Bologna. No significant difference was found for the biomass production neither between the eight varieties nor between the two different harvesting periods. The dry-mechanical treatment is very effective in removing the relatively low-value fractions of the crop (like the top sections of the stems). The eight hemp varieties perform differently at the dry mechanical separation treatment and give different percentages of bast, core and dust. Cannabinoids do not accumulate in the dust fraction thus showing that the dry-mechanical treatment does not increase the concentration of harmful substances in by-products. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.