Industrial Hemp—an Old but Versatile Bast Fiber Crop

ABSTRACT

Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.), as one of the most important traditional natural fiber crops, had almost been forgotten for the last several decades. However, an unprecedented opportunity has emerged for planting this crop due to its multiple uses and products derived from the plant as well as its quick-growing and strong adaptability to a wide range of agro-environmental conditions. Furthermore, the decision from the United Nations’ Commission for Narcotic Drugs that removing medicinal cannabis from a category of dangerous drugs (Schedule IV of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961) in December 2020 has also greatly promoted the hemp’s revival. Nowadays, industrial hemp has many agro-industrial applications, such as agriculture, textiles, papermaking, construction, bio-fuel. This review analyzes the current hemp production status throughout the world and outlines the main applications of industrial hemp in different fields. The outlook and the remaining questions that need to be solved in the future for the better development of industrial hemp were also discussed, such as how to promote the hemp planting in more broad regions, how to obtain high yields of aim products, and how to fully explore its usages in the future.

摘要

工业大麻作为一种重要的传统天然纤维作物，近几十年来几乎被人们遗忘. 然而，由于这种作物的多种用途和产品，以及其快速生长和对各种农业环境条件的强适应性，种植这种作物出现了前所未有的机会. 此外，联合国麻醉药品委员会决定在2020年12月将药用大麻从一类危险药物中清除，这也大大促进了大麻的复兴. 目前，工业大麻在农业、纺织、造纸、建筑、生物燃料等方面有着广泛的应用. 本文分析了世界大麻生产现状，概述了工业大麻在不同领域的主要应用. 探讨了如何在更广阔的区域推广大麻种植，如何获得目标产品的高产，以及如何充分开发大麻的用途，展望了大麻产业的发展前景和今后需要解决的问题.

KEYWORDS:

• Cannabis
• bast fiber crop
• cannabinoid
• industrial hemp

关键词:;:

• 大麻
• 麻类作物
• 大麻素
• 工业大麻

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program under Grant CAAS-ASTIP-2017-IBFC06.

Disclosure statement

No potential competing interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program [CAAS-ASTIP-2017-IBFC06].