AU: Northern Territory's First Industrial Hemp Trial Underway In Katherine

Robert Celt

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Seeds have been planted at the Katherine Research Station, with more plantings due next week and in the middle of May.

The trial is being supported by the company EcoFibre Industries, which grows industrial hemp commercially in New South Wales, Tasmania and Queensland.

Senior research agronomist Dr Ian Biggs said three varieties of industrial hemp would be trialled over three separate plantings.

"Katherine has been chosen because we have some of the equipment and expertise in planting trial crops," he said.

"We have a bird-exclusion cage so we can grow small plot trials without pest incursions.

"And if industrial hemp does grow well here, this will be a good region to use it as a potential break crop in crop-rotation [for local farmers]."

The Northern Territory's current legislation doesn't allow for the commercial growing of industrial hemp, but special consideration has been made to allow for this trial.

Dr Biggs said there would be a lot interest to see how hemp grows in the Katherine climate.

"The initial aim of the trial is to see if hemp will grow here," he said.

"It has been trialled before in Mareeba (QLD) and Kununurra (WA).

"From reviewing literature and talking to people it seems hemp is very day-length sensitive, which is why it's typically grown in more temperate areas.

"Once the day length starts to get too short it starts flowering.

"So we're not sure how it will go in this latitude."

If all goes to plan, the first hemp crop will be harvested in 90 to 120 days for the grain varieties and around 150 days for the fibre variety.

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News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: AU: Northern Territory's First Industrial Hemp Trial Underway In Katherine
Author: Matt Brann
Contact: ABC
Photo Credit: Rose Grant
Website: ABC Rural
 
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