Is the Potential for Multi-Functional Use of Industrial Hemp Greater than Maize under Saline Conditions?

Abstract

There is a new and growing interest in using hemp as a raw material for a wide portfolio of food and non-food products. This study provides a synthesis of such information on the basis of literature and experimental data. For comparison, similar information on maize is provided. To document multiple uses of both crops, a list of products was compiled and the fraction of the total dry biomass of each plant part used for each product was estimated. A field experiment was carried out on the response of hemp and maize to irrigation scheduling and to the quality of irrigation water. Both literature and our experiment show that water and salinity stress reduce the total dry biomass, but do not modify substantially the relative availability for the intended marketable products. The field experiment did show that total biomass declined as salinity increased for both crops, but the partition in different fractions did not change significantly with the increase in salinity for all plant fractions and both crops. The market value of the observed, reduced, yield of maize and hemp was estimated. The experimental findings suggest that widespread use of hemp would lead to a more resilient and sustainable agri-food system, although regulatory and medium enterprise policies should be adapted to bring about this development.