Funding Hemp Research
Pyxus International has signed an agreement with North Carolina State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) to fund research designed to determine the impacts of using differing fertility rates on hemp plants grown in a greenhouse environment.
The research will identify and quantify if the hemp plant’s overall growth, as well as its cannabinoid and CBD quantity and quality, are impacted by varying fertility rates. Information gathered from the trials will be used to address knowledge gaps in hemp production in order to help farmers optimize their operations and grow the highest-quality hemp crops.
“It is our intention that findings from this research will help to establish best practices in hemp cultivation,” said Bryan Mazur, executive vice president of global specialty products at Pyxus International.
“These best practices can then be transferred to hemp farmers, and in turn, will lead to a reliable, high-quality source of CBD, which can be incorporated in products like our affiliate Criticality’s Korent and Korent Select brands”
Pyxus’ agreement with NC State is the second research partnership the company has announced in 2019. In August, Pyxus and Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences entered into an agreement that will also result in hemp cultivation data.
“In a rapidly growing industry, these partnerships will provide valuable data and insight to farmers, as well as consumers looking to understand hemp and CBD,” said Mazur. “We value the work NC State’s talented researchers have already accomplished in this space and we are excited to work with them to further advance the industry for farmers and consumers in our home state and around the world.”
“The interest in hemp production is vast, and although we’ve made progress, there’s still a lot we do not know about the most efficient and profitable ways to grow hemp,” said Brian Whipker, professor and extension specialist in commercial floriculture production for NC State. “Pyxus’ funding will help continue to advance our research to identify the fundamental agronomic science necessary to empower hemp growers.”
Aspects of the research generated in collaboration with NC State will help to populate open-source best practices for hemp cultivation. The project is expected to continue through 2022.