Hemp metabolite profiling by NMR: variety and irrigation effects

Rising temperatures caused by climate change affect the yield and quality of industrial crops, which are mostly grown in open fields and undergoing abiotic stress such as drought, thus causing variations in the content of interesting compounds. Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is a well-known fast-growing and high-biomass crop, that has been used for centuries for multiple purposes, especially for fibres and seed oil production. Different genotypes with low levels of psychoactive cannabinoids were selected through breeding in the last decades, thus being suitable for non-pharmaceutical uses like biofuel and textile fibres production. A putative correlation between metabolic profile and stress resistance could help to elucidate the mechanisms of resilience, allowing the selection of cultivars with clearer criteria and development of agronomical practices for their production. This study used NMR spectroscopy to assess the variations in the metabolic profile of water-soluble compounds in industrial hemp inflorescences due to both genetic background and water depletion. Hemp plants of four well-established industrial cultivars (Fedora 17, Futura 75, Felina 32 and Earlina 8FC) were grown as fully irrigated plots (R1 = controls) and partially irrigated plots (R2 – R3) in an open field experiment conducted at the “Alsia-Azienda Pantanello” site in Metaponto (Basilicata, Southern Italy) within the local unit of CNR-IPSP in 2023.