Pubdate: Thu, 30 Jul 2009 Source: London Free Press (CN ON) Copyright: 2009 The London Free Press Contact: http://www.lfpress.com/cgi-bin/comments.cgi?c=letters_editor Website: http://www.lfpress.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/243 Author: Joe Belanger, Staff Writer POT VICTIM OF POOR SUMMER Hemp Needs The Sun And Heat To Survive Corn and soybean farmers aren't the only people anxious about the cool, wet, cloudy weather this summer. People who secretly planted marijuana in cornfields and elsewhere across the region also are watching their potential harvests, uh, go to pot. "It's been cool and it's wet, so it's slowed down its growth," said Gordon Scheifele, a research scientist and plant breeder now retired from the University of Guelph but working with the Ontario Hemp Alliance. "The weather is probably doing the same thing it's doing to hemp. Normally, as young plants, they don't tolerate wet, saturated, or soaked soil, although once it's established it can handle pretty wet ground, but not saturated ground." The marijuana is a different strain of the cannabis plant that produces hemp, a product with endless commercial potential that's still untapped, at least partly due to the notoriety of its cousin. "In fields that are poorly drained, (marijuana) would suffer. It's been cool and wet, so its growth is slowed down. It doesn't flower and reach maturity as quickly," Scheifele explained. Like other crops, hemp needs the sun and heat to thrive. In some areas of the region, the yield is expected to be down 50% or more, while other areas are expecting a bumper crop, Scheifele said. "I think it (marijuana) may not be an optimum (yield) but it will still produce a crop," he said. Nevertheless, OPP said they plan to continue their annual crackdown on outdoor grow-ops with aerial and ground surveys. "Weather conditions this year, in particular this area of the province, may have an adverse affect on marijuana crop growth and production," said OPP Insp. Bryan Martin. "However, experience shows our drug investigators that organized crime groups will continue to be involved in the growth and production of marijuana regardless of the less than ideal growing conditions." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr