Eirini Vazanelli

Industrial hemp is mainly cultivated for its fibers aimed at the production of textiles, paper, and cordage; the inflorescences for medicinal purposes; and the seeds are used by the food industry due to their high nutritional and functional matrix of protein, fiber, lipids, and microelements. Hemp seed oil (HsO) is a unique source of polyunsaturated fatty acids, with a phenomenal ω6:ω3 ratio of 2.5–3.0, significantly enhancing human health when consumed daily. HsO is mostly obtained through cold pressing due to minimal thermal treatment, and although of lower yield compared to solvent extraction, it presents higher quality lipid fractions and organoleptic characteristics such as color, taste, flavor, and density. Although HsO is a powerful source of polyunsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants, and phytosterols, its production lacks standardized quality control parameters, except for THC, which is subject to EU legislation. Therefore, it is essential to build up a quality protocol system for standardizing seed conservation, oil extraction methods, and quality parameters. This review aims to display an overall nutritional framework of the HsO and encourage further research into its use in the food value chain.

A two-year field experiment was conducted in two consecutive seasons to evaluate the response of wheat to pre-emergence (PRE) and early post-emergence (EPOST) herbicides. The herbicides prosulfocarb (3200 g ai ha⁻¹) and chlorotoluron plus diflufenican (1380 + 92 g ai ha⁻¹) were applied PRE, whereas the herbicides flufenacet plus diflufenican (240 + 120 g ai ha⁻¹) and flufenacet plus diflufenican plus metribuzin (119.7 + 119.7 + 44.8 g ai ha⁻¹) were applied EPOST at the second leaf growth stage of wheat. Heavy rainfalls that followed the PRE treatments and cold temperatures that occurred during the EPOST applications resulted in crop injuries and reduced yields in prosulfocarb, chlorotoluron plus diflufenican and flufenacet plus diflufenican the first and the second year, respectively. Weather conditions such as heavy rainfalls and low temperatures that may occur during and after herbicide treatments should be considered to avoid crop injuries and increase crop safety.

The premixtures flufenacet plus diflufenican and flufenacet plus diflufenican plus metribuzin are two herbicides recently registered in Greece for weed control in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) with application early post-emergence to the crop (1st–3rd leaf growth stage). To evaluate the selectivity of these new herbicides, pot experiments were conducted by applying flufenacet plus diflufenican at 240 + 120 g ai ha⁻¹ and flufenacet plus diflufenican plus metribuzin at 119.7 + 119.7 + 44.8 g ai ha⁻¹ to bread wheat and barley, at 1st (BBCH-11), 2nd (BBCH-12) and 3rd (BBCH-13) leaf growth stage. The efficacy of the herbicides at the above-mentioned rates in pre-emergence application was also tested on three ALS/ACCase herbicide-resistant populations of Lolium rigidum Gaudin in comparison with the pre-emergence herbicides prosulfocarb and chlorotoluron plus diflufenican at 3200 g ai ha⁻¹ and 1380 + 92 g ai ha⁻¹, respectively. The results revealed decreased selectivity of both premixtures when applied at BBCH-11 for both winter cereals, with flufenacet plus diflufenican being less selective compared to flufenacet plus diflufenican plus metribuzin. Both herbicides highly controlled the three herbicide-resistant L. rigidum populations. The results indicated that both premixtures are effective chemical options for the management of herbicide resistant L. rigidum. To ensure crop safety and optimize efficacy, application at BBCH-12 is recommended.

Industrial hemp is a continuously expanding crop; however, there has been limited research on its herbicide selectivity and weed control. Pendimethalin, s-metolachlor and aclonifen at 1137.5, 960 and 1800 g a.i. ha⁻¹, respectively, were applied in field experiments in 2022 and 2023 in Greece to study the response of industrial hemp to pre-emergence (PRE) herbicides and record their efficacy on weeds. In 2023, each PRE herbicide was followed by the postemergence application of cycloxydim at 200 g a.i. ha⁻¹ due to infestation of Sorghum halepense. In 2022, retardation in hemp growth was recorded by all PRE herbicide treatments, with there being a slight reduction in stand counts by pendimethalin and s-metolachlor and leaf yellowing by aclonifen in one the experiments. In 2023, no reductions in crop establishment and plant height were recorded, whereas leaf discoloration caused by aclonifen was less evident; cycloxydim did not affect hemp and perfectly controlled S. halepense. Despite the herbicide injury, hemp recovered and succeeded in higher biomass in both experiments at Thessaloniki and in higher seed production in the 2023 Thessaloniki experiment. This study showed that pendimethalin, s-metolachlor and aclonifen can be regarded as potential pre-emergence options with precautions in wet and light soils.

Aside from plant breeding and agricultural inputs, understanding and interpreting the Genotype × Environment (G × E) interaction has contributed significantly to the increase in wheat yield. In Central Macedonia, Greece, fifteen commercially important durum wheat cultivars and one landrace were tested in six cultivation environments classified into high- and low- productivity environments. This study aimed to identify the most productive and stable durum wheat genotypes across Mediterranean farming systems through a comparative examination of genotype plus genotype by environment (GGE) biplot alongside fifteen parametric and non-parametric stability models. In the organic (low productivity) environment, cultivar Zoi and the landrace Lemnos showed remarkable results, indicating a potential solution for biological agriculture. For the late-sowing (low productivity) environment, some widespread varieties such as Mexicali-81, Meridiano, and Maestrale had excellent performance, showing potential to overcome more adverse conditions during critical grain filling periods such as higher air temperature and deficient soil moisture, i.e., conditions that correlate with climate change. Evaluation of genotypes in all environments for a combination of high yield and stable production, showed that the best genotypes were G8 (Simeto), G2 (Canavaro), and G12 (Elpida). In the subgroup with the three high-productivity environments, G12 (Elpida), G8 (Simeto), and G6 (Mexicali-81) were the best genotypes, followed by G2 (Canavaro), while in the low-productivity subgroup, the G2 (Canavaro), G13 (Zoi) and G8 (Simeto) genotypes were the best.