Plant Variety Journal - IP Australia

Details of Application
Application Number 2006/202
Variety Name ‘Ruby’
Genus Species Cannabis sativa
Common Name Industrial Hemp
Synonym Nil
Accepted Date 15 Aug 2006
Applicant Agri Fibre Industries Pty. Ltd. Bundaberg, QLD
Agent N/A
Qualified Person David Gillespie
Plant Varieties Journal Vol. 21 No.3
Details of Comparative Trial
Location Bargara, QLD
Descriptor Hemp (Cannabis sativa) TG/Hemp (DRAFT).
Period 2008-2009.
Conditions Trial 1 (Autumn 2008): the trial was sown in a well prepared red
ferrisol kraznozem on 28th Feb 2008. Growth conditions were
not conducive for plant measurements as we subsequently
discovered that the area had previously been band treated with
diuron two years before planting, too soon for a sensitive crop
like industrial hemp, and this made the trial quite variable. Also
the autumn time of sowing meant maturity was earlier and less
spread out than the normal spring planting time. Leaf measures
and plant heights were affected by the short day length and
differences were slight compared to a spring planting. Weeds
were removed at a young age by hand throughout the trial period.
Watering was by trickle irrigation and plants were never stressed
for water. Pest and diseases were controlled as necessary with
insecticides and fungicides before there was any damage.
Trial Design Randomised factorial complete block with 4 replicates with 100
plants per variety per replicate.
Measurements for leaf 30 samples per replicate, for plant height 20 samples per
replicate.
RHS Chart - edition 2001.
Origin and Breeding
Controlled pollination: the pollination was controlled to the extent that male plants were
removed before anthesis from the maternal parent while several paternal parents of
unknown origin to the applicant pollinated the maternal parent. The source F1 hybrid
seed coded ‘Guelph 3-23’ was from very late maturing material (harvested 151 days from
sowing) under Canadian conditions. The seed was imported through quarantine under
licence from Mr Peter P. Dragla, now deceased, University of Guelph, Ridgetown
College, Ontario, Canada in Dec 2003. The F1 source seed and subsequent generations
were then grown in isolation until final selection. Individual plant selection for THC
content is carried out in the first three generations where selected male plants open
pollinate the female plants. Male plants are screened before anthesis and female plants
screened at half seed fill using an in-house colorimetric test for THC content. The
Government analyst also monitors populations with a random 30 plant sample. Short
plants are discarded. Plants are screened for bast fibre content by manual separation
(whole stalk weighed and then bast fibre weighed and expressed as a percentage) after
seed harvest. ‘Ruby’ measured 18% bast fibre content, while ‘Carmen’ measured 30%
bast fibre content in previous experiments. Seed yields of individual plants are recorded
with the highest yielding plants retained that have low THC content. Selection of grain
types also involves taste tests at firm seed stage. Analysis of fatty acid content of good
tasting seed is carried out by SGS Toowoomba, a NATA accredited laboratory.
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