The U.S. Department of Agriculture is encouraging hemp farmers to build a Ghostbusters backpack vacuum. This will allow them collect up to ten grams of cannabis pollen within a minute. The goal is to collect and distribute pollen to a group of international researchers and breeders.
A recent instructional video posted by the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service explains how to build and set up the device. It was created by a former employee of the department and a hemp grower in order to simplify the pollen collection.
Attaching a 100 micron mesh filter onto a wearable nozzle that has a glass vial attached is the setup. The user turns on the vacuum, and then gently runs the nozzle over the stems and leaves of the male hemp plants. Pollen, which is approximately 25 microns in size, is able to pass through the filter and into the vial. Raw plant material is not allowed.
View the USDA video below on how to use the hemp pollen collector:
USDA stated that the device could collect “10 grams high-quality hemp pollen within a minute.” We hope to use the device to distribute hemp to an international group hemp breeders and scientists.
Most farmers who grow cannabis for oil or flower avoid male plants because they don’t produce buds. Growers who are interested in reproducing a particular strain or who want to try cross-breeding can use male pollen to fertilize a female plant.
The video is from the USDA’s Plant Genetic Resources Unit, which has partnered with university researchers and growers of hemp to develop best practices for the industry. This sector is still catching up with other agricultural products, as hemp was only legalized federally under the 2018 Farm Bill.
states that PGRU maintains USDA’s collection of hemp germplasm in order to “develop curatorial techniques and approach to conserve hemp genetic resource.”
“These resources will also be backed up at the ARS National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation. They will be regenerated, tracked, and maintained using best management practices so that high-quality germplasm can then be distributed to researchers, breeders, and the hemp community. The genetic resources of wild relatives and cultivars for hemp will be protected to ensure that they are available for research and breeding. “In addition, we will introduce new genetic resources that are suitable for U.S. agricultural systems.”
The USDA has promoted the hemp market through a variety of means, including partnering with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture to host farmers at an educational event that focused on growing cannabis in a bio-based economy.
The Department also shared the story of a hemp farm in Indiana, highlighting how the agency provided financial and technical support to help the business maximize its output of CBD oil of high quality.
The USDA has also changed the name of a trade advisory group in order to feature hemp prominently among a select number of specialty crops, reflecting its understanding of cannabis as an extremely valuable commodity.
According to USDA , the hemp industry took a big hit in 2018. The crop’s value dropped dramatically across all metrics. The downturn has been attributed by stakeholders to the absence of Food and Drug Administration regulations for marketing hemp derivatives, such as CBD Oil, but FDA insists that Congress is required to pass such rules.
In this session, bipartisan legislators in the House of Representatives and Senate introduced bills that would ease regulatory burdens on farmers who grow industrial hemp to be used for other purposes.
Minnesota Governor dismisses claims that state constitution allows people to sell homegrown marijuana without a license following legalization
Image courtesy of U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The post USDA Teaches Hemp Farmers How to Use Ghostbusters Like Device To Collect Cannabis Pollen first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
