The USDA Hemp Handbook is being updated to collect hemp information and assist in conservation efforts

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) released an updated version of its Hemp Handbook last month. The first version of the handbook was published in September 2021, followed by a second update in April 2023. This third and latest version, titled USDA Hemp Descriptor and Phenotyping Handbook, Version 3, was published online in July and expands numerous sections, including Hemp pathology, agronomic evaluation, and fiber quality, as well as protocols for things like wild hemp collection, seed threshing, tissue culture, pollen collection, and more.

In all of these versions, the handbook attempts to assist researchers with a variety of goals, from assisting “breeders and researchers in identifying accessions with specific traits to facilitate germplasm selection in hemp improvement programs” to filling in gaps in the USDA’s Hemp Collection and Development ways to collect and preserve hemp varieties. “Methods and protocols are based on peer-reviewed literature and/or are crowdsourced from the hemp community,” the manual states. “Robust, reliable, and high-dimensional data generated from these phenotyping efforts will enable the conservation of hemp genetic diversity and support the selection of materials with unique combinations of traits for breeding programs.”

The USDA’s phenotype results are both stored digitally and made publicly available through the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) and the Plant Genetic Resources Unit (PGRU), based in Geneva, New York. “The Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) provides information on the USDA national collections of animal, microbial and plant genetic resources (germplasm) important to food and agricultural production,” the USDA website states. “GRIN documents these collections through information pages, searchable databases, and links to USDA-ARS projects that curate the collections.”

The GRIN NPGS (US National Plant Germplasm System) is not for home or community gardening or home school or K-12 school education, but is designed for professional plant breeders and researchers.

The USDA states on its website that the goal of germplasm collection at the PGRU is to preserve the genetic resources of hemp. “These resources are secured, regenerated, monitored and maintained with best management practices at the ARS National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation so that high-quality germplasm can be distributed to researchers and breeders within the hemp community,” the website states. “Endangered or threatened genetic resources for wild hemp relatives and varieties will be protected so that these important gene sources for hemp research and breeding are widely available. In addition, new hemp genetic resources will be introduced that may be suitable for US agricultural systems.”

In August, the USDA developed a “high-throughput pollen collection device” designed to collect pollen efficiently. “Hemp is a new crop that will be added to our seed bank in 2021 and we believe it has great research potential,” Tony Barraco said in a USDA video about the device. “One goal we’re exploring is the ability to collect pollen, store it long-term, and distribute it to stakeholders in the same way we distribute seeds.” The device was developed by former USDA postdoc Nick Genna and hemp curator Zachary Stansell and the hemp geneticist Tyler Gordon and engineer Dan Meyers (the latter three are also editors of the USDA Hemp Descriptor and Phenotyping Handbook).

The device can be carried like a backpack and features a 100 micron mesh screen attached to a vacuum nozzle that can be gently passed over live hemp plant material. The pollen is about 25 microns in size, allowing the vacuum to collect pollen without also having to collect larger pieces of raw plant material.

The USDA continues to increase its efforts related to hemp, such as in its 2023 Hemp Webinar Series, which includes eight videos released in the past few months.

Also last month, the USDA introduced a father-son hemp grower team for the first time as part of its Spotlight column, “Fridays on the Farm.” The column reported on running their 500-acre hemp farm in Indiana, called Papa G’s Hemp Farm, and how the father once grew corn, soybeans and hay on his property before his son convinced him to grow hemp.

In 2022, the USDA released a report that took a closer look at the growing value of the hemp industry, putting it at approximately $824 million (considering data collected in 2021). The data was revised in a report released earlier this year, which said that industrial hemp was only worth $238 million, using industrial hemp data for 2022. It also reported that 28,314 acres were planted with industrial hemp last year, down 48% from outdoor cultivation in 2021.

The benefits of hemp are far-reaching, starting with its versatile uses as a food, textile, and agricultural commodity, but also as a source of pollen for pollinators. A recent study published in July examined hemp as a food source for bees (mainly sweat bees, but also honey bees and bumblebees). Researchers analyzed the chemical makeup of four industrial hemp strains (named Canda, CFX-2, Henola, and Joey). “Overall, the Joey variety was the most preferred by bees, despite having lower levels of protein, amino acids, and saturated and monosaturated fats,” the researchers concluded. “Based on our findings, we concluded that industrial hemp pollen offers some nutritional benefits to bees. However, it is important to understand that multiple pollen sources are required for sustainable bee survival.”