By Blake Jackson
Researchers at Cornell AgriTech have developed a new hemp fiber cultivar called Ursa Alta, designed specifically for New York’s growing conditions and regulatory requirements.
The cultivar, whose name means “tall bear” in Latin and references Cornell’s mascot, is already being used in projects at Cornell, including new flooring planned for the director’s office at the Geneva campus.
Ursa Alta was bred to support several industrial uses. The plant’s outer fibers can be processed into textiles such as denim, while the woody core material can be used in products including insulation and animal bedding. Researchers say the variety also addresses one of the hemp industry’s biggest challenges: maintaining THC levels below legal limits.
The cultivar consistently tests around 0.02% THC, well below New York’s 0.3% threshold for industrial hemp. This breakthrough is expected to help growers avoid compliance problems that have affected many hemp operations since legalization in 2018.
“We want to make the hemp enterprise as profitable as possible for New York state farmers,” said Larry Smart, professor at Cornell AgriTech in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, who bred Ursa Alta with colleagues.
“We’re delivering on our land-grant mission by providing growers in New York with a high-yielding, compliant hemp cultivar,” said Smart, whose breeding program is primarily funded by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.
Researchers removed THC-producing genes from the plant through advanced genetic screening techniques. According to Smart, the new cultivar has consistently outperformed hemp varieties developed in several European countries.
Cornell has partnered with Condor Seeds, which is now commercially selling Ursa Alta seed to growers across the United States.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-jessicahyde
Categories: New York, Education, General