HEMP & SUNHEMP Cultivation

1.HEMP which is Scientifically known as Cannabis Sativa , is an annual herb plant grown specifically for industrial or medicinal use.
2.It can be used to make a wide range of products including fiber.
3.Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest growing plants on Earth.

1. Assignment : Hemp & Sunhemp Submitted to: Dr.Ghulam Muhayudin Submitted by: mUhammad sameer Roll no: fa19c1ba 320 Semester: 6TH (PBG)

2. HEMP INTRODUCTION : Scientific Name: Cannabis Sativa Chromosomal No: 2n= 20 Family: Cannabacae

3. History & Origin: Hemp originated in  Central Asia . H emp cultivation for fibre was recorded in  China  as early as 2800  BCE . It was practiced in the Mediterranean countries of  Europe  early in the Christian era, spreading throughout the rest of Europe during the  Middle Ages . I t was planted in  Chile  in the 1500s and a century later in  North America .

4. CULTIVATION: Hemp is grown in  temperate  zones as an  annual  cultivated from seed and can reach a height of up to 5 metres (16 feet). C rops grow best in sandy  loam  with good drainage and require average monthly rainfall of at least 65 mm (2.5 inches) throughout the  growing season . Crops cultivated for fibre are densely sowed and produce plants averaging 2–3 metres (6–10 feet) tall with almost no branching. Plants grown for oilseed are planted farther apart and are shorter and many-branched. In fibre production, maximum yield and quality are obtained by harvesting soon after the plants reach maturity, indicated by the full blossoms and freely shedding pollen of the male plants

5. MORPHOLOGY: The hemp plant is a stout, aromatic, erect  annual  herb. T he slender canelike stalks are hollow except at the tip and base. T he  leaves  are compound with palmate shape, and the  flowers  are small and greenish yellow.

6. MORPHOLOGY: Pollen-producing flowers form many-branched clusters on staminate, or male plants. Seed-producing flowers form elongate spikelike clusters growing on the pistillate, or female, plants.

7. HARVESTING: In fibre production, maximum yield and quality are obtained by harvesting soon after the plants reach maturity, indicated by the full blossoms and freely shedding pollen of the male plants. Although sometimes pulled up by hand, plants are more often cut off about 2.5 cm (1 inch) above the ground.

8. FIBER EXTRACTION: Fibres are obtained by subjecting the stalks to a series of operations—including  retting , drying, and crushing—and a shaking process that completes separation from the woody portion, releasing the long, fairly straight fibre, or line. T he fibre strands, usually longer than 1.8 metres (5.8 feet), are made of individual cylindrical cells with an irregular surface..

9. FIBER STRUCTURE: The fibre, longer and less flexible than  flax , is usually yellowish, greenish, or a dark brown or gray and, because it is not easily bleached to sufficiently light shades, is rarely dyed. It is strong and durable and is used for  cordage . The fibre strands, usually longer than 1.8 metres (5.8 feet), are made of individual cylindrical cells with an irregular surface.

10. USES OF HEMP: It is strong and durable and is used for  cordage —e.g., twine, yarn, rope, cable, and string—and for artificial sponges and such coarse fabrics as sacking (burlap) and  canvas . Some specially processed hemp has a whitish colour and attractive lustre and is used to make fabric similar to  linen  for clothing. Hemp textiles can be used to make shoes. Hemp fibre is used to make  bioplastics  that are recyclable and biodegradable, depending on the formulation.

11. USES: The edible seeds contain about 30 percent oil and are a source of  protein ,  fibre , and  magnesium . Shelled hemp seeds, sometimes called hemp hearts, are sold as a health  food  and may be eaten raw; they are commonly sprinkled on salads or blended with fruit smoothies. H emp seed milk is used as an alternative to  dairy milk  in drinks and recipes. The  oil  obtained from hemp seed can be used to make paints, varnishes, soaps, and  edible  oil with a low smoke point.

12. SUNHEMP PLANT Scientific Name: Crotalaria Juncea Chromosomal No: 2n= 8 Family: Fabaceae

13. HISTORY & ORIGIN: Crotalaria juncea  originated from India and has been cultivated there since the earlier times of agriculture. It was first reported in Sanskrit literature in 400 BCE ( Sarkar et al., 2015 ). Sunn hemp is now widely cultivated in many tropical and subtropical areas in the world, such as India, Bangladesh, Brazil, and even in cold temperate steppes ( Cook et al., 2005 ).  In its main area of cultivation in India, sunn hemp is found from 17°N to 30°N and grows at altitudes between sea level and 1500 m, where average annual temperature ranges between 15-27.5°C. In Brazil, it grows from the Amazon belt to 22.5°S where the average annual temperature range is 18-27°C.

14. CULTIVATION: Crotalaria juncea  is propagated by seeds under moist and frost-free conditions, sowing periods varying upon location and final use of sunn hemp. As a green manure, sunn hemp is mainly grown during the rainy season. Sunn hemp should be preferably sown in a well-prepared, fertilized, weeded, seedbed to a depth of 2-3 cm. Seeds can be broadcast or sown in rows. They germinate within 3 days under favourable conditions. Sunn hemp is a fast growing species that suppresses weeds by shading them out once sufficient height is reached . When grown for fibre, sunn hemp should be sown at higher seed rate in order to promote erect growth, stem elongation and high quality fibre.

15. MORPHOLOGY: Crotalaria juncea  is an annual erect shrubby herbaceous legume growing to a height of 1-4 m. It is strongly taprooted and has several lateral roots. Sunn hemp is a many-branched species. The stems are up to 2 cm in diameter, cylindrical and ribbed. The leaves are spirally arranged along the stems, hairy, simple, oblong-lanceolate or elliptical in shape. The fruit is a cylindrical, many seeded, hairy pod, light brown when mature, about 3-6 cm long x 1-2 cm in diameter. The seeds are cordiform, 6 mm long, dark brown to black in colour.

16. HARVESTING & FIBER EXTRACTION: For grain purpose, harvesting is carried out 150 days after sowing. (From mid-October to early November). When crop is raised for green manure purpose, 45-60 days after sowing buried crop in soil. Th e main portion of the stem is left to dry on the ground during 1 to 6 days, depending on places, so that it shed its leaves and becomes ready for retting. I n some areas, stems are left up to 15 days on the ground and retting occurs naturally thanks to morning dew 

17. FIBER STRUCTURE: Sunn fibre is lustrous, with a whitish, gray, or yellow colour. The fibre strands, about 1 to 1.5 metres (3.3 to 5 feet) long, are composed of individual fibre cells, cylindrically shaped and with striated surface markings. Sunn fibre is almost as strong as hemp and more durable than  jute . It increases in strength when wet and is fairly resistant to  mildew .

18. USES OF SUNHEMP: Sunn hemp, like hemp ( Cannabis sativa ), is mainly grown as a fibre crop that was much used in the traditional manufacture of ropes, strings, twines, floor mat, and fishing nets. Sunn hemp foliage can be used as a protein source to supplement poor quality roughage. Raw seeds are toxic and can not be fed to cattle without prior boiling.