The Source of K Fertilizer for Industrial Hemp ( Cannabis sativa L.): Mechanical and Chemical Properties of Stem for Rammed Earth Walls

Ivana Varga (), Dario Iljkić, Paulina Krolo, Ana Perić Fekete and Ivan Kraus
Additional contact information
Ivana Varga: Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Dario Iljkić: Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Paulina Krolo: Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Rijeka, 52000 Rijeka, Croatia
Ana Perić Fekete: Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Ivan Kraus: Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 12, 1-17

Abstract: Industrial hemp, as a natural plant fiber, has received increased research attention recently. Potassium fertilization is one of the most important fertilizers for plant stem thickness, but how the formulation of K fertilizer influences stem morphology and stem tensile strength remains unclear. This study aims to examine the influence of K fertilizer sources on industrial hemp stem properties, with a specific focus on the fibers, to evaluate their potential applications as reinforcement material for stabilizing rammed earth in sustainable construction. A field experiment was set up with different K fertilizer types applied as pre-sowing fertilizer in the following doses: K 0 —control, K 1 —100 kg ha −1 KCl, and K 2 —100 kg ha −1 K 2 SO 4 . Different K fertilizations did not have significant influence on stem height, which was on average 71.2 cm, nor on stem diameter, which was on average 3.4 mm. Regarding the macronutrient content of the industrial hemp stem (N, P, and K), K fertilization treatment significantly influenced ( p < 0.05) their accumulation. The N, P, and K content in the stem within fertilization treatment averaged 0.78, 0.72, and 1.26%, respectively. The average content of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin was not significantly different in relation to K fertilization treatments. In the stem, dry weight cellulose content varied from 57.8% (K 0 ) to 59.0% (K 1 ), hemicellulose from 11.0% (K 2 ) to 11.6% (K 0 and K 1 ), and lignin from 10.2% (K 2 ) to 10.5% (K 0 ). The tensile strength and Young’s modulus of the industrial hemp stem were non-homogenous within K fertilization treatments. The highest tensile strength (388.52 MPa) and Young’s modulus (32.09 GPa) were on K 1 treatment. The lowest industrial hemp stem tensile strength was determined at K 2 treatment (95.16 MPa), whereas stems in the control treatment had the lowest Young’s modulus (21.09 GPa). In the mixtures of hemp fibers with rammed earth, the higher compressive strength was determined on cubic samples than on cylindrical samples. This study contributes to the industrial hemp K fertilization of the newer genotypes, but there has been a lack of research in recent times. Since industrial hemp has great potential in various industry branches, this study also contributes to using fiber extracted from the stem in eco-friendly and renewable forms in mixtures with rammed earth.

Keywords: industrial hemp; potassium fertilizer; KCl; K 2 SO 4; morphology; fiber; stiffness; tensile strength; earth mixtures (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/12/2196/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/12/2196/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:14:y:2024:i:12:p:2196-:d:1534350

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().