In all aspects of agriculture, the need to operatemore sustainably iscreating pressures and needs for advancements

This project is designed to investigate a more sustainable, locally produced, alternatives to the current materials used for growing plants and in much of agriculture.potting soils, greenhouse and nursery growing media, and landscape soil amendments are currently highly dependent on imported mined sphagnum peat which is considered a valuable but non-sustainable environmental asset. Mining and transportation of this bulky materials, from distant places, significantly increases the environmental impact.ireland and the united kingdom are leading the way in prohibiting the mining of peat for use in horticulture. Many are concerned about the greenhouse gas emissions, and the results. Additionally, supplies of sphagnum peat have become limited due to variable weather in canada andsupply chain limitations that hamper imports from northeastern europe.good environmental stewardship requires the use of more reliable and sustainable sources of fibrous substrates for horticulture and in all of agriculture. All these factors are driving market demands for more sustainable fibrous substrates. The resurgence of production of industrial hemp makes application of this locally produced high yielding fibrous agricultural product a very attractive candidate for supplying the fibrous components in growing media. These investigations will examine the application of industrial hemp fiber to meet horticultural needs.laboratory analyseswill define the nature of the fibers. Applications of modern fiber processing equipment will test processing methods and development of the best substrate structure. Processes will be developed to formulate the components for use in growing media to achieve advanced structural requirements. The processes will build on industry experience and standards using experience and knowledge to go to the next level of substrates in the horticultural industry. Applying advanced patent pending processing will assure fiber production to meet the advanced particle structure requirements. The substrates will be engineered and formulated to meet the well-established and more advanced chemical and physical properties defined to be more environmentally sustainable and less polluting.an array of substrate laboratory analyses will assist in the development.after final formulation a proof of concept will be conducted in university and industry growing trials where crop data will be collected to demonstrate effectiveness in production and reductions in environmental impact. Results will be published in modern media and professional scientific papers. Early adapters will be followed to evaluate the effectiveness of the new sustainable substrate.upon completion of this research, information will be obtained on processing and application of industrial hemp showing that IT is a more sustainable and exceptional substrate, for application in agriculture,,specifically for production ofhorticultural plants.applications to consumer gardening, landscaping, and other sectors of commercial agriculture are expected. The investigations will provide foundational information on the physical and chemical aspects of industrial hemp fibers. IT will develop methods of processing for use inhorticultural growing substrates.growing mix formulations, incorporating the new substrate, will be developed and tested demonstrating the effectiveness in growing plants.observations on management and production techniques will look at the impact that the new substrates could have on reducing run off and polluting effects from growing plants. In summary this advancement should reduce the impact of mining and importing peat, increased options for more profitable local agricultural production, development of local processing and manufacturing enterprises while improving crop growth with better environmental stewardship.