Key cultivation techniques for hemp in Europe and China

• The practical experience of hemp cultivation in Europe and China was reviewed.
• Hemp holds a great potential in the frame of the developing bio-based economy.
• Knowledge on the effects of G×M×E on hemp quality characteristics is limited.
• New hemp varieties tailored to specific end-uses need to be developed.

Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is a multiuse, multifunctional crop that provides raw material to a large number of traditional and innovative industrial applications. A relatively simple, low input cultivation technique and the sustainability of its products are the main drivers for a future expansion of the hemp crop. In Europe, the large political support of bioenergy in recent years has fuelled numerous studies on the potential cultivation of hemp for bioenergy production. In China the main drivers for a renewed interest in hemp are its traditional applications. For any given destination, the main target of hemp cultivation is the maximization of biomass production, but each end-use destination has specific quality requirements in terms of properties of the bast fibre, characteristics of the oil and proteins in the seeds, or profile of secondary metabolites in the inflorescence.In this paper, traditional and innovative end use destinations and cultivation systems for hemp are introduced, together with some notes on hemp botany, biology, and resource use efficiency. This information, together with a review of the practical experience of hemp cultivation in Europe and China and knowledge gathered form scientific literature, highlights the effect of agronomic factors in determining the yield potential and quality level of hemp for specific end use destinations. To conclude, future perspectives and recommendations for hemp cultivation and research are discussed.