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Sequence resource of bacterial communities associated with hemp in Ohio

Abstract:

In spite of changes in regulation and increased hemp cultivation and commercialization, information on hemp best production practices in the United States is scarce. Due to hemp’s human consumption, particularly as concentrated oil, hemp is often grown with low synthetic chemical inputs. Therefore, microbiome management and the use of microbial inoculants are important tools to increase hemp productivity. As a first step to characterize the hemp core microbiome, we completed a survey of bacterial communities associated with different tissue types of plants grown in a field in Ohio. This local dataset could be integrated with further hemp microbiome surveys to identify potential beneficial interactions relevant to plant health and productivity but also to evaluate microbiome impacts on product efficacy and safety. Due to recent changes in regulation and to its potential of high economic revenues, there is increased interest from growers, industry, and researchers in industrial hemp. Industrial hemp refers to the cultivars of Cannabis sativa L. with a dry mass d-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of 0.3% or less (USDA Agricultural Market Service 2019). Most popular hemp varieties are grown for cannabidiol production (CBD) (Hemp Benchmarks 2020; Mark et al. 2020). CBD-based supplements have gained interest due to potential applications in human health, with current evidence supporting CBD use for management of certain types of epilepsy (Abu-Sawwa et al. 2020). Depending on the variety, industrial hemp may have additional uses, including seed and other food supplements, fiber for textiles, and even construction (Clarke and Merlin 2016; Fike 2016). Since its approval for production in certain U.S. states, academic research in hemp is focusing on development of best production practices. With CBD, the end product with greatest economic interest (Mark et al. 2020), being for direct human consumption, particularly as concentrated oil, the industry and its consumers are looking into practices with low synthetic chemical inputs and environmental impact (Madhusoodanan 2019). For example, from the 47 pesticide products currently registered for use in hemp (EPA 2020), 46 represent microbial-based or -derived products. The successful application and performance of microbial-based products is dependent on our understanding of both management practices and resident microbiota in plants (Massart et al. 2015). Bacteria and other microorganisms colonize plant surfaces as epiphytes, as well as reside in inter- and intracellular spaces as endophytes (Kandel et al. 2017). Furthermore, each plant compartment selects for a distinct bacterial community, and bacterial community composition in hemp and other plant hosts is driven by soil characteristics, land management, and plant cultivar (Scott et al. 2018; Winston et al. 2014). Due to the regulated history of hemp and other Cannabis cultivars, a small number of studies have documented characteristics of its