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Article
2025
Fiber hemp biomass yield and quality on shallow stony soil in Southwest Germany
Fiber hemp biomass yield and quality on shallow stony soil in Southwest Germany
Greiner, Beatrice E. Kunisch, Jana Krauße, Galina Thiel, Theresa Schwadorf, Klaus von Cossel, Moritz
Abstract
Shallow arable soils (<35 cm depth) are classified as marginal for common agriculture but may still support biomass production from industrial crops like fiber hemp, which has a low indirect land-use change risk. However, little is known about hemp’s performance under such conditions. Therefore, this study investigated the biomass yield and quality of fiber hemp and other crops on a shallow (<35 cm), stony (>15% stone content), and clay-rich (>50% clay content) soil at 800 m above sea level in Southwest Germany (2018–2021). A randomized field trial tested different row widths and nitrogen (N) fertilization levels to assess low-input options for the given type of marginal land. Across years and row widths, hemp achieved average grain dry matter (DM) yields of 1.3 Mg/ha at a fertilization rate of 40 kg N/ha and 1.6 Mg/ha at 120 kg N/ha (with on average 30.9 ± 1.4% crude fat content across treatments). The average stem DM yields accounted for 5.11 Mg/ha (40 kg N/ha) and 6.08 Mg/ha (120 kg N/ha), respectively. Reduced N fertilization (40 kg/ha) lowered DM yields by up to 16% compared to full fertilization (120 kg/ha), but the effect was not significant and weaker at wider row spacing (45 cm). Additionally, maize reached acceptable DM yields (>17 Mg/ha). These findings suggest that shallow soils classified as marginal require reassessment, as they may offer viable opportunities for sustainable industrial hemp cultivation and contribute to a bio-based economy.
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Land, 14 (2025), 4, 720.
https://doi.org/10.3390/land14040720.
ISSN: 2073-445X
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Greiner, B. E., Kunisch, J., Krauße, G., Thiel, T., Schwadorf, K., & von Cossel, M. (2025). Fiber Hemp Biomass Yield and Quality on Shallow Stony Soil in Southwest Germany. Land, 14(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/land14040720
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English
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630 Agriculture
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University bibliography
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Sustainable Development Goals
BibTeX
@article{Greiner2025,
doi = {10.3390/land14040720},
author = {Greiner, Beatrice E. and Kunisch, Jana and Krauße, Galina et al.},
title = {Fiber Hemp Biomass Yield and Quality on Shallow Stony Soil in Southwest Germany},
journal = {Land},
year = {2025},
volume = {14},
number = {4},
}