Plant density and self-thinning affect yield and quality of fibre hemp (Cannabis sativa L.)

To ascertain the reasons for the high plant mortality in fibre-hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) crops in the Netherlands changes in biomass yield, plant mortality and plant morphology were investigated in a hemp cultivar grown at initial densities of 10, 30, 90 and 270 plants m⁻². At 90 plants m⁻² this cultivar was compared with a high bast-fibre cultivar and a late-flowering cultivar. Rate of canopy establishment and early growth rate increased with increasing plant density. At 90 and 270 plants m⁻², plants died as a result of self-thinning. Self-thinning was associated with a reduced crop growth rate. In self-thinning stands, dry biomass (B, g m⁻²) was related to density of surviving plants (D, m⁻²) as log B = 3.81 − 0.304 log D. At the same crop growth rate, the rate at which plants died from self-thinning was higher in hemp than in other herbaceous dicots. The proportion of stem in the total dry matter increased with increasing plant density. Stem yield was maximum at 90 plants m⁻². Stem quality improved with increasing density as the bark content in the stem increased, but self-thinning reduced the bark content in the stem. Optimum plant density was close to that resulting after self-thinning. In hemp the relationship between yield and optimum plant density is approximated by the equation of its self-thinning line. The late-flowering cultivar yielded more than the other two cultivars because it grew faster during the latter part of the growing season.