11 September 2017 - Impact of growing practices on the production of hemp fiber

11 September 2017 - Impact of growing practices on the production of hemp fiber

In collaboration with FRD and the University of Lille, we have evaluated the effect of hemp cultivation practices on fiber production and chemical variability of technical fibers for making materials.

Interest in hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is increasing due to the development of a new applications based on plant fibers. However the variability of bast fiber yield and quality can limit fiber industrial exploitation. In this study, we have shown that both growing conditions and hemp varieties impact stem tissue architecture with a large effect on the proportion of secondary fibers but not primary fibers. Infrared spectroscopy of technical fibers obtained after mechanical defibering revealed differences with primary, but not secondary fibers. This study indicates that the observed variability of hemp technical fibers could be partially explained by differences in secondary fiber production and unequal separation of primary and secondary fibers during defibering.

Read: Fernandez-Tendero E, Day A, Legros S, Habrant A, Hawkins S, Chabbert B. Changes in hemp secondary fiber production related to technical fiber variability revealed by light microscopy and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. PLoS ONE 2017, 12, 6. DOI

Contact: Dr Brigitte Chabbert, brigitte.chabbert@inra.fr

Modification date : 06 June 2023 | Publication date : 08 September 2017 | Redactor : B. Chabbert / G. Paës