The Cultivation of Industrial Hemp as Alternative Crop in a Less-Favoured Agricultural Area in Southern Italy: The Pignola Case Study
Industrial hemp cultivation has the potential to be an environmentally friendly and highly sustainable crop and it can fit well in crop rotation practices to increase soil fertility. For this study, two commercial varieties of industrial hemp with low tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content were used to...
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| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Pollutants |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4672/1/3/14 |
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| author | Antonio Satriani Antonio Loperte Simone Pascucci |
| author_facet | Antonio Satriani Antonio Loperte Simone Pascucci |
| author_sort | Antonio Satriani |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Industrial hemp cultivation has the potential to be an environmentally friendly and highly sustainable crop and it can fit well in crop rotation practices to increase soil fertility. For this study, two commercial varieties of industrial hemp with low tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content were used to test its reintroduction chance in the study area and to evaluate its response in terms of yield with respect to the soil and drought conditions of the area. During the vegetative period, non-invasive measures of the soil’s water status were performed using Watermark probes and ground penetrating radar. In addition, hemp crops vigour monitoring was performed by means of Sentinel 2 multispectral optical remote sensing data. In the absence of precipitation and/or irrigation, and with high consumption of soil water by the hemp crop due to evapotranspiration, the crop has completed its cycle thanks to its resistance to water stress conditions. From the soil water and satellite monitoring results, there is a good agreement with the field results in terms of water stress and its effects on crop vigour. This study contributes to a better understanding of the possibility of hemp crop reintroduction in areas where water deficit occurs, which could open up the opportunity for selecting hemp crop cultivars that can be grown under different agro-ecological conditions and are also of great commercial interest for decision makers involved in sustainable crop management and in the reduction of fertilizers and pollutants released into the environment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:17:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-85738803aee64fd782407c207c2170ff |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-4672 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:17:28Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pollutants |
| spelling | doaj.art-85738803aee64fd782407c207c2170ff2023-11-22T14:54:47ZengMDPI AGPollutants2673-46722021-08-011316918010.3390/pollutants1030014The Cultivation of Industrial Hemp as Alternative Crop in a Less-Favoured Agricultural Area in Southern Italy: The Pignola Case StudyAntonio Satriani0Antonio Loperte1Simone Pascucci2Institute of Methodologies for Environmental Analysis, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IMAA, CNR), 85050 Tito Scalo, ItalyInstitute of Methodologies for Environmental Analysis, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IMAA, CNR), 85050 Tito Scalo, ItalyInstitute of Methodologies for Environmental Analysis, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IMAA, CNR), 85050 Tito Scalo, ItalyIndustrial hemp cultivation has the potential to be an environmentally friendly and highly sustainable crop and it can fit well in crop rotation practices to increase soil fertility. For this study, two commercial varieties of industrial hemp with low tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content were used to test its reintroduction chance in the study area and to evaluate its response in terms of yield with respect to the soil and drought conditions of the area. During the vegetative period, non-invasive measures of the soil’s water status were performed using Watermark probes and ground penetrating radar. In addition, hemp crops vigour monitoring was performed by means of Sentinel 2 multispectral optical remote sensing data. In the absence of precipitation and/or irrigation, and with high consumption of soil water by the hemp crop due to evapotranspiration, the crop has completed its cycle thanks to its resistance to water stress conditions. From the soil water and satellite monitoring results, there is a good agreement with the field results in terms of water stress and its effects on crop vigour. This study contributes to a better understanding of the possibility of hemp crop reintroduction in areas where water deficit occurs, which could open up the opportunity for selecting hemp crop cultivars that can be grown under different agro-ecological conditions and are also of great commercial interest for decision makers involved in sustainable crop management and in the reduction of fertilizers and pollutants released into the environment.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4672/1/3/14industrial hempalternative cropresiliencedrought resistanceremote sensingground penetrating radar |
| spellingShingle | Antonio Satriani Antonio Loperte Simone Pascucci The Cultivation of Industrial Hemp as Alternative Crop in a Less-Favoured Agricultural Area in Southern Italy: The Pignola Case Study Pollutants industrial hemp alternative crop resilience drought resistance remote sensing ground penetrating radar |
| title | The Cultivation of Industrial Hemp as Alternative Crop in a Less-Favoured Agricultural Area in Southern Italy: The Pignola Case Study |
| title_full | The Cultivation of Industrial Hemp as Alternative Crop in a Less-Favoured Agricultural Area in Southern Italy: The Pignola Case Study |
| title_fullStr | The Cultivation of Industrial Hemp as Alternative Crop in a Less-Favoured Agricultural Area in Southern Italy: The Pignola Case Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Cultivation of Industrial Hemp as Alternative Crop in a Less-Favoured Agricultural Area in Southern Italy: The Pignola Case Study |
| title_short | The Cultivation of Industrial Hemp as Alternative Crop in a Less-Favoured Agricultural Area in Southern Italy: The Pignola Case Study |
| title_sort | cultivation of industrial hemp as alternative crop in a less favoured agricultural area in southern italy the pignola case study |
| topic | industrial hemp alternative crop resilience drought resistance remote sensing ground penetrating radar |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4672/1/3/14 |
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