Hemp News West Virginia: Hemp Researcher Funded In West Virginia

If you don’t know it already, you will soon find out that in the hemp world, financing is everything. This is as true for hemp start-up ventures as it is for hemp research. For hemp research programs a lot of the financing is coming from the agricultural hemp giants. They see this as a way to increase their profits since much of the research is around better hemp growing techniques–from soil nutrients to THC control. In the case of Michael Gutensohn, an assistant professor of horticulture at a West Virginia college (WVU) funding came from the US Government

Why The US Government Funded West Virginia Researchers

 Michael Gutensohn will be collaborating with two former WVU faculty members on a hemp growing research project exploring which genetics and environmental factors lead to THC accumulation in plants. The study is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The goal is to once and for all establish whether the environment plays a role in a hemp plant’s THC levels. As Guttenshon puts it 

“Whenever you see such a response in a plant, it normally means there’s genetic regulation happening…To ultimately solve this problem, we need to have a better understanding of the genetic regulation.” Beyond genetic regulation, this type of research will also aid in Federal Regulations and the Federal Governments’ ability to aid hemp farmers in adhering to said regulations by altering their growing practices. 

The Hemp Research That Will Be Done in West Virginia

Gutenshon will alter growing temperatures, water intake, and light intensity, along with varying fertilizer levels to manipulate the environmental factors of the hemp plants. If successful, this study could very well pave the way for smarter government regulation and less loss of CBD hemp plants that test hot for THC content.

For more information on hemp farming, high CBD seeds, and hemp regulations, reach out to us at CBD Seed Co today.