correlation (r^2 = 0.07,p= 0.27), although the range in latitude was small, 43–
57° N. Longitude ranged from 53 to 127° E, but no significant correlation was
seen:r^2 =0.15(p= 0.15).
Climate and latitude use to be considered responsible forC. indicaandC. sativa
cannabinoid profiles. Now we know that genetics governs chemotypes. Similarly,
fatty acid profiles are also under genetic control. The Indian Hemp Drugs
Commission ( 1894 ) made an indirect comparison betweenC. indicaandC. sativa.
They analyzed seed from Hyderbad, compared their results with Frankfurt ( 1894 ),
and concluded that Indian seeds contained morefiber but less oil than German
seeds. Anwar et al. ( 2006 ) analyzed three accessions from across Pakistan, com-
pared their results with European data, and came to the same conclusion.
Small et al. ( 1976 ) made thefirst direct comparison from an explicitly taxonomic
perspective. They measured percent oil in 13 drug-type accessions (mean 27.7%)
and 208 “less intoxicant” accessions (mean 32.9%), a significant difference
(p< 0.05). The aforementioned study by Kriese et al. ( 2004 ) that clustered plants
by their fatty acid profiles included a Korean landrace that segregated into a cluster
by itself, due to low levels of SDA and GLA. Most accessions in her study were
hybrids or unknowns, as with other comparative studies (e.g., Mediavilla et al.
1999 ; Small and Marcus 2000 ; Blade et al. 2005 ). GLA content has been increased
from 2 to 4% in the‘Ermo’cultivar, after just two cycles of half-seed selection
(Grassi, personal communication, 2016).
Protein has received less attention than oil, despite hemp’s value as a protein
supplement. The protein is concentrated in hemp seed cake—crushed hemp seed
expelled of its oil fraction. Better yet, modern technology can peel the seed of its
hard,fibrous shell, yielding a protein-rich dehulled kernel.
Buchholz ( 1806 ) led with thefirst analysis; he extracted 24.7%eiweißstoffe
(“albuminous stuff”) from German hemp seed. Anderson ( 1857 ) measured 22.60%
in Scottish hemp seed, and noted Buchholz’s similar results. Thefirst direct
comparison between hemp varieties was made by Schaedler ( 1883 ), who measured
eiweißstoffecontent in German hemp (15.95%) and Russian hemp (15.00%).
Callaway ( 2004 ) and Callaway and Pate ( 2009 ) provide new comparisons:
Dehulled hempseed consists of 45% protein, compared to 32% in soybean and 11%
in egg white. Hemp seed protein consists of about 66% edestin and 33% albumin.
Both are globular proteins, highly digestible, and contain all essential amino acids.
Edestin is analogous to casein in milk; albumin is the primary protein in egg white.
The amino acid profile of hempseed is comparable to that in soybean protein and
egg white protein.
6.5 Bast Fiber
Bastfibers are phloem (sap-conducting) cells in stalks of dicot plants.Cannabis
produces phloem and xylem in concentric circles within a stalk (Fig.6.3). Directly
under the epidermis lies a ring of cortex (i.e., bark)—a mix of parenchyma cells and
148 G. Grassi and J.M. McPartland