Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
François Desanlis,
1
Nicolas Cerruti
2
and Philip Warner
3
1
Consultant, France and South Africa;
2
ITC, France;
3
Managing Director,
Ecofibre Industries Operations Pty Ltd, Australia
6.1 Introduction
6.2
Hemp Cultivation in France
In this chapter, François Desanlis, an agronomic
engineer and hemp producer from the
Champagne Ardenne area of France, provides
an original account of the diverse subject of the
agronomics and cultivation of hemp. He
describes hemp cultivation in the most impor-
tant hemp producing area of Europe since the
rebirth of this industry in France in the 1960s.
This account draws on his long experience in
the industry and blends this with a thoughtful
and well-reasoned approach to cultivation.
Next, the machinery, and in particular the
harvesting procedure, is presented by Nicolas
Cerrutti, an expert from the Institut Technique
du Chanvre in France, thus updating the con-
cepts presented in the French edition of this
text. For this, he is thanked warmly.
Then follows a contribution from Australia,
which only started producing hemp again in
2001. Mr Philip Warner, Managing Director of
the company Ecofibre Industries Operations
Pty Ltd, explains how they approach this ven-
ture and deal with the many problems that
invariably present themselves when there is no
experience to draw on (as is the case after a
gap of 50 years).
Finally, Nicolas Cerrutti and François
Desanlis present the harvesting process devel-
oped by the
Chanvriers de l'Est
in France in
2005.
6.2.1
Methods of cultivation
Hemp is an annual plant, sown in the spring
and harvested at the end of the summer or the
start of the autumn. Under the conditions usu-
ally encountered in Western Europe, the vege-
tative period lasts from 80 days for the earliest
varieties (FIN134) to over 150 days for late
varieties (such as Dioica 88, Novosadska and
Kompolty).
The progression of the vegetative cycle,
and therefore of the dates of sowing and har-
vesting, are, however, affected by the sum of
temperatures (or 'growing degree days': the
accumulated degrees according to a formula)
where the induction of flowering is concerned
and by reductions in day length where full flow-
ering is concerned (Beherec, 2009).
Place in crop rotation
Hemp can find its place in a crop rotation sys-
tem. There are no absolute rules as there are
multiple possibilities, depending on the region
and the needs of the producers.
Hemp monoculture was tested over a
12-year period (Chambre d'Agriculture de l'Eure),
and on the flood plains of certain valleys in the
Champagne region (Seine and Aube), France, the
yields declined progressively. This was attributed
