b'Wayne Hanna, NAPB Lifetime Achievement Award winner, examines aUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln corn breeder Tom Hoegemeyer noted that pine tree.Photo courtesy UGA Tifton the Second World War drove near-universal adoption of hybrid corn in America. Photo courtesy University of Nebraska-LincolnIn the case of hybrid corn, the recipe for success waslicenses from their state, which means fees and paperwork. there the product was of immense value to growersGrowers may also be subject to a criminal background and processors and was every consumers dream comecheck. In states where it is legal, farmers must have their true, producing a useful, affordable product they couldhemp plants tested to ensure they are below a certain buy at every grocery store.threshold of THC content, he said. If your plants are Hemp did not benefit from the same scenario. Due tofound to have too much THC, they may be destroyed.the stigma caused largely by its association with mari- Despite those ongoing challenges, now that consumer juana, once the war ended and the need for rope dimin- acceptance is rising and growers begin rediscovering the ished, it simply didnt make sense to keep growing it. crop, a hemp renaissance is taking place that mirrors the Now, breeding programs are finally able to work withtakeoff of hybrid corn in the 1940s.hemp as a crop and develop next-gen varieties suited to American growing regions, noted Ismail Dweikat, profes- Paradigm Shiftsor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, who presentedTo me, the turning point toward commercial success on hemp breeding for the Midwest and northeast regionis always the attractiveness of the product, said Fan-Li of the United States.Chou, vice-president of scientific affairs for the American Hemps potential for use in building materials, food,Seed Trade Association. She presented on gene editing biodiesel and clothing is something he is researchingregulatory issues in the United States and beyond.extensively. A draft genome and accompanying transcrip- Like many places on earth, U.S. regulatory policy on tome of Cannabis sativa were published in 2011 and agene editing is still a work in progress. In June 2019, the large-scale study of the genetic structure of marijuana andWhite House put out an executive order calling on U.S. hemp types was published in 2015. federal agencies to streamline regulatory processesNow, with the advent of the CBD market, investors areincluding the approach to gene editingin order to rushing to patent genetically modified cannabis molecules.make U.S. policy more evidence-based and transparent.With hemp production and consumption on the rise, howFurthermore, a global consistency on regulatory policy much will genetic engineering play into hemps develop- is needed to support cross border scientific collaboration ment as a commodity crop? and trade, Chou said. Great potential exists, he said, but hurdles still aboundRegulatory policy aside, she says the deciding factor for anyone wanting to work with the crop. on whether gene edited products are successful may lie Because of its legal limbo, hemp growers need specialwith consumers themselves.22GERMINATION.CANOVEMBER 2020'