Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** hemp (cannabis sativa l.) is…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** hemp (cannabis sativa l.) is grown for essential oil, seed, and fiber production. Germplasm with superior agronomic performance combined with disease resistance is required to improve hemp yields and product quality. This project will focus on the evaluation of genetically and geographically diverse hemp genetic resources from the USDA ARS plant genetic resources unit hemp germplasm repository for resistance to four diseases important to hemp industry. At least 100 hemp accessions will be tested yearly in randomized, replicated and inoculated field trials for: 1) fusarium head blight, 2) powdery mildew, 3) septoria leaf spot, and 4) downy mildew. Fusarium head blight tolerance will be evaluated in field trials in lexington, KY. Powdery mildew, septoria leaf spot, and downy mildew resistance will be tested in geneva, NY. High-quality data obtained from these evaluations will be entered into grin-global, a publicly accessible database. Resistant accessions identified during evaluations will be used in crosses to develop regulatory compliant, publicly available, stable, and disease-resistant industrial hemp germplasm in three important market classes. Additionally, germplasm identified during this work will be incorporated into downstream mapping populations to support the discovery of candidate resistance genes. Extension and outreach activities including field days, videos, and webinars will be used to inform the hemp community of the research findings.