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How much waterlogging can hemp take?
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Quick find: this post is based on the published summary (abstract) of the study, not the full paper.
Industrial hemp is often considered sensitive to waterlogging, yet the authors of this study say empirical evidence for that remains scarce. Researchers at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania, put it to the test in two glasshouse experiments with the hemp cultivar Ferimon 12.
The question was how much the length of a waterlogging event, and the plant's stage of growth when it happens, affects the physiology, growth and yield of hemp under controlled conditions (Vijaya Kumar et al., 2026). This is industrial hemp research, and the post reports what the team found, not how to grow the crop.
What this means
For this cultivar, the answer was clear: the authors found Ferimon 12 highly sensitive to waterlogging, particularly during early vegetative growth, with even short-term saturation impairing photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, growth and yield. Timing mattered as well as duration. These results come from glasshouse experiments with one dual-purpose cultivar under controlled conditions, so they describe the physiological limits of that cultivar in that setting, not hemp in general.
What did they test and find?
- Experiment 1, how long: waterlogging for 0 (the control), 3, 6, 12 and 24 days, applied at the eight true leaf pair stage.
- Experiment 2, when: waterlogging events of 3 and 6 days, applied at the six true leaf pair stage and at flower initiation.
- Longer than 6 days: waterlogging beyond 6 days caused severe damage, and plants died after 12 days of continuous waterlogging.
- 3 to 6 days: the plants survived, but compared with the control, photosynthetic activity fell by 40 to 80%, biomass by 18 to 55% and seed yield by 16 to 48%. The greatest reductions came after 6 days of waterlogging.
- Growth stage: plants were more susceptible at the six true leaf pair stage than at the flower initiation stage.
The authors conclude that their findings characterise the physiological limits of this cultivar under controlled conditions, and show that developmental stage influences how severe the effects of waterlogging are. For now this is a result for researchers working on industrial hemp, not a set of instructions to try at home.
What were the limitations?
Limitations are not reported in the published abstract. The results are for one cultivar, Ferimon 12, grown under controlled conditions in a glasshouse.
A note on licensing
Growing cannabis in Australia requires a licence.
Trial details
- Who: Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia (the authors’ affiliation).
- Where: a glasshouse; two experiments under controlled conditions.
- Crop: industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.), cultivar Ferimon 12, which the authors describe as a dual-purpose hemp cultivar.
- Growth stages: eight true leaf pair stage (Experiment 1); six true leaf pair and flower initiation stages (Experiment 2).
- Treatments: Experiment 1, five waterlogging durations of 0 (control), 3, 6, 12 and 24 days; Experiment 2, 3-day and 6-day waterlogging events imposed at the six true leaf pair and flower initiation stages.
- Measured: photosynthetic activity, stomatal conductance, biomass, growth, development and seed yield.
- Results: plants died after 12 days of continuous waterlogging; after 3 to 6 days, photosynthetic activity was down 40 to 80%, biomass 18 to 55% and seed yield 16 to 48% relative to the control; greater susceptibility at the six true leaf pair stage than at flower initiation.
- Funding: Martha Jane Medical Ltd., “NSW”, the University of Tasmania and one further funder identified only by an ROR ID (01nfmeh72), as listed in the paper’s Crossref record.
- Publication: Crops 6(5), article 90 (MDPI), published 25 September 2026, https://doi.org/10.3390/crops6050090. Licence: CC BY 4.0.
- Not reported in the published abstract: where the glasshouse was; the study dates and the plants’ total growing time; pot size, substrate and how waterlogging was imposed; lighting; temperature, humidity and CO2; nutrition; the number of plants and replicates; statistics; and declared conflicts of interest.
Links
- The study: Industrial Hemp Response to Waterlogging Stress: Influence of Duration and Growth Stage on Physiological Performance and Yield
- The institution: Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania
References
- Vijaya Kumar, I., Lisson, S., Hardie, M., & Botwright Acuña, T. (2026). Industrial hemp response to waterlogging stress: Influence of duration and growth stage on physiological performance and yield. Crops, 6(5), 90. https://doi.org/10.3390/crops6050090