GRANT FUNDED
Cultivar Check Program and Midwestern Hemp Database
Funding: USDA SARE Partnership Grant
Contact: Phillip Alberti (palberti@wisc.edu)
Our project utilizes existing researcher-farmer partnerships to conduct participatory hemp cultivar trials to rapidly generate relevant, research-based information for the hemp industry. All data generated is integrated into the Midwestern Hemp Database (MHD) a public online resource supporting stakeholder decision-making and risk mitigation.
Hemp Viruses Detection and Diagnostics
Funding: USDA NIFA Postdoctoral Award
Contact: Derrick Grunwald (dgrunwald@wisc.edu)
The goal of this work is to explore the diversity of virus communities infecting hemp, and develop a detection method for said viruses. In the intermediate term, we hope to elucidate the function of coinfecting viruses toward modulating disease severity, with particular interest in HpLVd.
Phytoremediation of PFAS in Wisconsin Soils using Hemp and Alfalfa
Funding: Universities of Wisconsin Innovation Grants
Contact: Shelby Ellison (slrepinski@wisc.edu)
The group’s proposal, Phytoremediation of PFAS in Wisconsin Soils using Hemp and Alfalfa, received $175,000 in funding for the two-year project. This project is a joint project with UW-Stevens Point.
PFAS are man-made chemicals used in industrial applications and have been correlated with a number of health problems. The team will conduct research on the ability of hemp and alfalfa plants to remove PFAS from soil, determining how and where it is stored in plant tissues and how soil quality influences PFAS remediation.
Evaluating the Economic Feasibility of Companion Cropping in Industrial Hemp
Funding: USDA NIFA Tribal College Research Grant Program
The overall goal of this research is identify the best methods to cultivate Cannabis sativa with companion cropping methods on the Lac Courte Oreilles reservation, in a USDA plant hardiness zone 3b, for economic feasibility.
Building a resilient organic hemp industry from seed to market: assessing research, extension, and education needs
Funding: USDA OREI Planning Grant
Contact: Shelby Ellison (slrepinski@wisc.edu)
The goal of this project is to identify research, extension, and education priorities that will support the development of the organic hemp industry to be resilient, sustainable, profitable, and equitable.
RESEARCH PROJECTS
Pre-characterization and Preservation of American Hemp Germplasm
Funding: USDA NIFA Supplemental and Alternative Crops
Contact: Ademola Aina (aaina@wisc.edu)
Our integrated research and extension goal is to collect a geographically distributed range of genetically diverse and THC-complaint hemp germplasm that will kick start research and breeding efforts, while collaborating with and educating citizen scientists and stakeholders about industrial hemp and its potential downstream uses.
The Midwestern Hemp Research Collaborative: Participatory Research and Extension to Grow a Sustainable Hemp Industry
Funding: USDA NIFA Supplemental and Alternative Crops
Contact: Phillip Alberti (palberti@wisc.edu)
Our primary goal is to increase the regional adaptation, productivity and profitability of grain and fiber hemp by addressing the critical need for university and farmer supplied data on cultivar performance, agronomic best practices, pest incidence and severity.
Hemp Genetics, Germplasm, and Biotechnology: Phase 1
Funding: USDA ARS NACA – 2022-2027
Contact: Shelby Ellison (slrepinski@wisc.edu)
Dissecting the genetic architecture of fiber, grain and floral traits in hemp (Cannabis sativa)
Aphanomyces euteiches root rot genetic mapping in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)
The goal of this work is to map QTL and develop KASP markers for Aphanomyces euteiches resistance in common bean.