International Hemp Association
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Subscription price, $50 per year, is low compared to the quality, wealth and breadth of information. An excerpts of IHA’s Journals are below (click any of the Vavilov links) and many IHA articles can be found throughout the HempCyberFarm. Judge for yourself and subscribe, help the earth heal!

The scientific Hemp community and mother earth would also appreciate a donation to the Vavilov Project initiated by IHA to save the World’s last remaining gene pool of this most valuable plant. Think about what you can do to help stop de-forestation, hunger, pollution, ozone layer, etc. In my opinion this is the most cost effective way to help our Planet heal and de-toxify ourselves. Your money will be used 100% for growing Hemp by non-profit organizations. What other earthsaving organization can make this kind of statement? (p.s. if you want to brush up on your gene pool knowledge click here!) Also see “Genetic Future of Hemp!”

HempCyberFarm has been to Vavilov!

Vavilov ’93Vavilov ’94Vavilov ’95Vavilov ’96Vavilov ’97

International Hemp Association Organization:
David P. Watson, Chairman
David W. Pate, Secretary
Robert C. Clarke, Projects Manager
Hayo van der Werf, Editor in Chief
Irene Bijl Treasurer
With contributions from various other Hemp experts around the World.

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Maintenance of Cannabis germplasm in the Vavilov Research Institute Gene Bank - 1993
Nikolai Lemeshev1, Lyudmila Rumyantseva1 and Robert C. Clarke2
1. N.I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry, 42 Bolshaya Morskaya Street, St. Petersburg 190000, Russia
2. International Hemp Association, Postbus 75007, 1070 AA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Lemeshev, N., L. Rumyantseva and R. C. Clarke. Maintenance of Cannabis germplasm in the Vavilov Research Institute Gene Bank- 1993. Journal of the International Hemp Association 1: 1; 3-5.

The collection of Cannabis hemp germplasm at the Vavilov Research Institute (VIR) consists of 397 accessions from 3 different eco-geographical groups: Northern, Central and Southern. Eighty-five collection accessions were sown in isolation at 4 locations in Russia in 1993 for the purpose of maintaining the gene pools and replenishing the reserves of seed for distribution. Sixty accessions yielded from 10 to 2,000 grams of seed each. The remaining 25 accessions yielded no seeds.

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Introduction
The most important project of the International Hemp Association is a grant of humanitarian aid to the N. I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry (VIR) in St. Petersburg, Russia. The VIR was founded in 1924 by plant collector and geneticist N.I. Vavilov (Fig. 1), one of the first scientists to recognize the importance of plant genetic resources conservation. The institute is the longest existing seed bank in the world and houses a priceless collection of over 400,000 seed accessions.

The Department of Industrial Crops of the VIR maintains the largest Cannabis germplasm collection in the world. Most of these accessions are either wild landraces or fiber hemp varieties, and many of them are found in no other gene banks. Under normal storage conditions, hemp seeds can be kept for about 5 years before losing viability. Maintaining a Cannabis collection therefore involves reproducing the accessions at least once every 5 years. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the funding of the VIR has dramatically decreased, threatening the maintenance of its collections.

If the Cannabis accessions of the VIR are not reproduced they will surely become extinct before their true value is ever realized and utilized.

Especially in light of the renewed interest in Cannabis, it would be very short-sighted to let this collection die.
In 1993 the VIR, with the sole support of the IHA, began a 4 year program to preserve and evaluate its Cannabis germplasm. The collection consists of 397 accessions of Cannabis seeds from three basic eco-geographical groups: Northern, Middle, and Southern, collected from 16 nations (Table 1). The collection represents wild and traditional cultivated varieties as well as products of plant improvement programs. The vast majority of the accessions are classified as low-THC chemotypes of Cannabis sativa L. All of the accessions will be reproduced during the first three years, and in 1996 the entire collection will be grown in replicate gardens and each accession will be characterized.

Two key requirements must be fulfilled before an accession can be considered adequately reproduced. The primary goal of a germplasm preservation project is the conservation of the entire gene pool. It is very important that the population size is large enough to ensure that nearly all of the genes within the gene pool are reproduced in the resultant seed. We have set a minimum limit of 1,000 plants in each population. This should ensure 99% preservation of the gene pool. The second goal is to reproduce the accession in sufficient amounts to distribute seed to researchers worldwide. We have set a minimum limit of 200 grams of seed for storage and later reproductions. Two hundred grams is approximately 10,000 seeds and will allow 5,000 seeds to be stored in an active collection for reproduction and 5,000 seeds to be kept in long-term storage. Seeds can only be released to the research community if more than 200 grams of seed from each accession are held by the VIR.

This paper reports the results obtained in 1993.

Materials and methods
Eighty-five accessions of hemp contained in the germplasm collection of the Department of Industrial Crops at the VIR were sown with the purpose of germplasm maintenance, replenishment of seed stocks for distribution, and installation in long-term storage. The accessions were planted at 4 VIR Experiment Stations in Russia (Fig. 2): Pavlovsk (59 °N) near St. Petersburg, Ekaterinino (53 °N) in Tambov Province, Kuban (44 °N) near Krasnodar, and Volgograd (48°N).

At the Pavlovsk Experiment Station 15 collection accessions belonging to the Northern and Central groups were sown in isolated plots. Each plot contained one hemp accession, the distance between the plots being 3-4 kilometers. The accessions were sown according to their ripening period, with early-ripening varieties planted nearer to late-ripening varieties to avoid stray pollination.

Agrometeorological conditions during 1993 were unfavorable for the growth and development of hemp. The spring was late and cold. Air and soil temperatures in May and early June were lower than average by 4-5 °C. Because of this the spring sowing was delayed by 15 days compared to the average sowing date. The plots were planted on June 10-13. The seed was sown in densely planted rows spaced 20 cm apart. The size of the plot varied from 8-12 m2 depending on the number of seeds available.

The absence of rainfall in late May and strong winds dried out the soil. The first seedlings appeared 10-12 days after sowing and continued to appear for several days. During the course of the whole vegetative period the air temperature was well below average, while the rainfall was above average. Therefore, the development of the plants was delayed.

Sowing of the seed and maintenance of the plants in the isolation plots were performed according to the methods developed by the Department of Industrial Crops. Maintenance of the plots consisted of hoeing the soil when needed, thinning the rows where seedling density was too high, weeding, applying fertilizer, removing male plants after they finished flowering, covering the female plants with gauze nets at the time of ripening to protect the seeds from birds, and harvesting of the seed plants.

The remaining 70 collection accessions of the Central and Southern eco-geographical groups were sown at the Ekaterinino, Kuban and Volgograd Experiment Stations. At the former two stations accessions were sown in isolated plots. At the Volgograd Station isolation was achieved by using wooden and gauze isolation chambers. In 1993 the agrometeorological conditions there were as described for the Pavlovsk Station, especially the dry and cold spring. This caused a delay in sowing, sporadic germination of the seeds, and poor condition of the seedlings. During the course of the vegetative period the rainfall was 2-3 times the average for many years. This also impeded the development of the plants.

Results
At the Pavlovsk Experiment Station, complete flowering was observed in early August. Seed formation occurred in late August and early September. Frosts arrived in the end of September and the temperature fell to minus 5 °C. These frosts killed the plants that had not matured and been harvested. Thus out of the 15 collection accessions planted at the Pavlovsk Station, 10 accessions yielded from 10-1,000 grams of mature seed, two accessions did not ripen, two accessions were stolen, and one yielded only immature seeds (Table 2).

Twenty accessions were planted at the Ekaterinino Station; 14 of the accessions yielded from 10-1,200 grams of seed and 6 accessions failed to germinate because they were from old reproductions (Table 3). Twenty accessions were planted at the Kuban Station; 17 accessions yielded from 10-2,160 grams of seed and three accessions were stolen, (Table 4). Thirty accessions were planted at the Volgograd Station and 19 accessions yielded from 5-790 grams of seed, three accessions failed to germinate, and 8 accessions were stolen (Table 5).

Discussion and conclusions
In the introduction to this paper we defined two key requirements which must be fulfilled before an accession can be considered adequately reproduced: at least 1,000 plants have to produce a total quantity of at least 200 g of seed.

Due to poor weather conditions, poor germination, limited space and theft, only 14 of the 60 accessions reproduced were of sufficient population size (more than 1,000 plants). Of these 14 accessions only 10 were reproduced in sufficient quantity to allow distribution (more than 200 g seed). This means that although 60 of the 85 accessions were reproduced, only 10 were reproduced with sufficient population size and in sufficient quantity to satisfy our criteria.

Eighty-five Cannabis seed accessions were sown, 60 Cannabis seed accessions were reproduced, and 10 seed accessions were reproduced in sufficient quantity for distribution. Although the 1993 Cannabis germplasm reproductions yielded minimal tangible results, we must remember that this is the first time any Cannabis reproductions have been attempted during the confusing period since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The extensive VIR system for germplasm preservation has been partly reactivated and the future is now much brighter. Our limited success is encouraging, considering that this is only the first year of the VIR/IHA Cannabis germplasm preservation project. We feel that the project should certainly be continued. However, persistence and considerable additional financing will be required to complete the reproduction and evaluation of the entire Cannabis germplasm collection of the VIR within the remaining three years of the project. Only one thing is certain, we will never succeed if we do not focus our most concerted efforts on Cannabis germplasm conservation.

Please become an IHA member and donate to the VIR/IHA Cannabis germplasm preservation project. Top of Page

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Maintenance of Cannabis germplasm in the Vavilov Research Institute Gene Bank - 1994
Nikolai Lemeshev1, Lyudmila Rumyantseva1 and Robert C. Clarke2
1. N.I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry, 42 Bolshaya Morskaya Street, St. Petersburg 190000, Russia
2. International Hemp Association, Postbus 75007, 1070 AA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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In 1994, the Vavilov Research Institute/International Hemp Association Cannabis Germplasm Preservation Project had its
second successful year of growing out endangered seed accessions. The project was expanded in 1994 to include facilities in the Ukraine and Italy. However, additional grow out locations must be arranged for 1995 and 1996. A progress report will be presented by the IHA at the Bio resource Hemp symposium to be held in Frankfurt, Germany, March 2-5, 1995 and will also be published in the third issue of the Journal of the International Hemp Association.

The most important obstacle the VIR/IHA project faces is funding for the 1995 grow outs. A concerted effort will be made to canvas the symposium participants for both IHA membership and public/private grants to support the Cannabis Germplasm Preservation Project.

The IHA will also present several other talks at Bio resource Hemp concerning various aspects of Cannabis, its production and utilization. We anticipate that this symposium will bring together many interesting members of the Cannabis community and it should be very worthwhile for those interested in the advancement of Cannabis as an environmentally friendly crop.

Please become an IHA member and donate to the VIR/IHA Cannabis germplasm preservation project. Top of Page

Maintenance of Cannabis germplasm in the Vavilov Research Institute Gene Bank - 1995
Sofia Kutuzova¹ Lyudmila Rumyantseva² and Robert C. Clarke³
1. N.I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry, 42 Bolshaya Morskaya Street, St. Petersburg 190000, Russia
2. International Hemp Association, Postbus 75007, 1070 AA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Summary: 92 Hemp accessions were planted out with the intention of maintaining viability. 70 accessions were satisfactorily reproduced. 4 accessions did not germinate, 6 were cut and stolen, 10 did not yield mature seeds, and 3 samples produced and insufficient number of plants.

Thanks to the implementation of the joint VIR/IHA project, in 1993-1995 a total of 252 hemp accessions were reproduced. All of the samples were either very old seed reproductions (before 1989) or had a small number of seeds. Successful reproductions were received from 134 threatened accession. In 55 accessions a very small number of seeds were reproduced, so it would be necessary to repeat regeneration. In addition, repeated regeneration is required for 65 accessions, which yielded insufficient seed quantities in 1991-1992 before the VIR/IHA project started.

On the basis of the accomplished works, it is obvious that in order to complete this project successfully it would be necessary to enlarge the number of isolated plots. This will require widening of the number of experiment stations participating in the project. In 1995 the project was expanded into Italy. We hope to have cooperation with Italy again in 1996 and also initiate reproductions in Uzbekistan and former Yugoslavia.

Please become an IHA member and donate to the VIR/IHA Cannabis germplasm preservation project. Top of Page

Maintenance of Cannabis germplasm in the Vavilov Research Institute Gene Bank - 1996
Sofia Kutuzova¹ Lyudmila Rumyantseva² and Robert C. Clarke³
1. N.I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry, 42 Bolshaya Morskaya Street, St. Petersburg 190000, Russia
2. International Hemp Association, Postbus 75007, 1070 AA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
___________________________________________________

The 1996 Cannabis Germplasm Preservation Project was carried out at the Pavlovsk, Ekaterinino, Ustimovka and Kuban Experimental stations of the Vavilov Research Institute (VIR), as in previous years (see above). Additional plantings were made on isolated plots at Donskaya Experimental Station of the Institute of Oil Crops (Rostov Region) and the Penza Institute of Agriculture. Out of 111 accessions planted, seed yield was received from only 87. The major factors that caused this situation were unfavorable weather conditions and thefts. The work at Donskaya Station was a failure, as maturing plants on all the plots were stolen. It seems advisable to refrain from collaboration with this site in the coming year. Similar losses at other stations were also significant and caused low seed yields.

Sixteen monoecious samples were successfully reproduced in separate boxes in the glass houses of the Pushkin Laboratories of the VIR. Small seed quantities were obtained from each accession, and dioecious individuals eliminated.

A complete report of the 1996 Cannabis Germplasm Preservation Project will appear in the June 1997 Journal of the IHA 4(1).

Maintenance of Cannabis germplasm in the Vavilov Research Institute Gene Bank - 1997
Sofia Kutuzova¹ Lyudmila Rumyantseva² and Robert C. Clarke³
1. N.I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry, 42 Bolshaya Morskaya Street, St. Petersburg 190000, Russia
2. International Hemp Association, Postbus 75007, 1070 AA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Need several US$1'000.- for preservation projects ! Do something folks.

Dear Hemp-enthusiast and/or ecologist,

IHA is doing all it can, HempCyberFarm is doing all it can to save Hemp-seed samples for posterity before this heritage is to become lost… forever. I hope to enlist the help of Greenpeace and other environmentally aware organizations. If everybody could only understand that US$50 or $100 can go a long way when doing work in Russia. Please donate $50 or $100 if you can. If you are reading this surely you must care!

This is literally a life or death situation. Eventually it will become more clear how important this gene collection really was/is. This is the best way to stop our man-made engine of destruction folks. Be visionary and vote with some cash now! Your offspring and children, not even born now, will be forever grateful.

Thank you, Matthew/non-profit HempCyberFarm.

Please become an IHA member and donate to the VIR/IHA Cannabis germplasm preservation project. Top of Page Thank you Institute of Natural Fibers, Poznan, Poland.

More IHA Journals

Do you know more about this? E-mail us at Matthew@HempWorld.com

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*Industrial-Hemp has no psychoactive properties following definition of the European Economic Community (EEC); THC content is less than 0.3%. In general, low THC-seed varieties without psychoactive properties are those that have a THC content of less than 1%. (See also No-THC Hemp-seed.) THC= Delta-9 TetraHydroCannabinol.

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