Context

The short hemp crop cycle , together with its seasonality, makes it a good combination crop for rotation with winter cereals or fodder crops. In addition, studies show that hemp as a summer rotation crop with wheat can increase its yield by more than 50%, by reducing weeds and improving soil structure. Its low water requirements (compared to other crops) and the possibility of producing it under Organic Agricultural Production rules make hemp farming an economically and environmentally value-added rotation option. Despite their added value, hemp fields in Catalonia are estimated to cover only about 300 ha/year. Historically, hemp-based products were used to produce fibre (textile industry, paper production, construction and material for farm animal beds) and grain (animal feed or seed). These uses produce little profit, one of the main reasons why the crop has been abandoned. The recent emergence of the bioplastics industry, through the recovery of hemp fibre as the basis for manufacturing a new generation of plastics, along with the use of seed for human consumption, linked to agro-organic production, seems to have given the crop a second life. However, these new uses demand fibres and seeds with much higher quality parameters. Achieving and ensuring high quality will be a critical point to creating profitability for the crop. In this context, the aim of the project is to develop tools and generate agronomic knowledge to increase the profitability of industrial hemp crops, by improving yields and the quality of derived products. By the end of the project it is hoped that NIR spectroscopy-based models, as tools for quality control and decision-making, and an optimal technical pathway for industrial hemp farming in Catalonia will have been developed.