The effect of native and foreign origin hemp varieties on fiber yield and fiber quality at early and late harvest

The aim of this study is to determine the appropriate harvest period (early and late harvest) by using hemp varieties of domestic and foreign origin in order to obtain quality and efficient fibers, to expand production and to benefit from the hemp plant in various fields, especially textiles. The research was conducted with a randomized complete block design, comprising four replications, in the experimental field of the Faculty of Agriculture at Ondokuz Mayıs University. Harvest times were assigned to the main plots, and varieties were allocated to the subplots. The effects of two different harvest periods, namely the flowering period (early harvest) and seed maturation period (late harvest), were investigated for their impact on fiber yield and quality using both domestic (Narlı and Vezir) and foreign-origin (Ferimon and Fedora-17) hemp varieties. Plants reaching the onset of flowering (early harvest) and the seed maturation period (late harvest) were manually harvested. Morphological observations were conducted for randomly selected 10 plants per plot, adhering to the rules of the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA). Observations included male and female plant ratios, plant height, technical stem length, stem diameter, and other parameters. Physiological characteristics such as emergence and flowering onset times were examined. Plants harvested in two different growth periods and left to dry were taken to the field and pooled in the dew. Upon examining the average plant heights for different harvest times, it was observed that in both harvest periods (early and late harvest), the highest plant height was found in the Narlı variety. Regarding technical stem length, the longest was observed in the Narlı variety during the early harvest period, while the Vezir variety exhibited the longest technical stem length during the late harvest period. The highest dry straw and fiber yield per decare was observed in the Narlı variety. According to the obtained results, parameters such as plant height, stem thickness, and decare fiber yield were found to be higher during the flowering period (early harvest). Additionally, indigenous varieties demonstrated superior characteristics in terms of plant height, fiber, and stem yield compared to foreign-origin varieties. Some fiber quality analyses (single fiber strength, single fiber length, fiber linear density) were conducted, but they did not show statistically significant differences.