Hemp Seed Yield Responses to Nitrogen Fertility Rates
Robert Pearce
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors
Comments on attached file.
Comments for author File: 
Comments.pdf
Comments on the Quality of English Language
Only minor edits needed.
Author Response
see attached
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors
There was a large variation in plant population between years, even though the seeding rate was the same. The seeding rate should have been adjusted to seed purity, germination rate, and seed count. Was there a noticeable or significant difference in plant population among the hemp cultivar?
It would have been useful to include soil test results for each year. Yes, seeding date, precipitation, plant population, and weed pressure were probably the biggest factors in explaining the results, but how about available N prior to N application?
Were the same plots/fields used in 2020 and 2021 and in 2022 and 2023 to conduct the experiments?
It appears that the best results were achieved in 2021, despite the low precipitation (82 mm, which was not much different than the 75 mm received in 2022 during the growing season, although its temporal distribution was slightly different between the two years). The major differences between the 2021 and the 2020, 2022, and 2023 results may have been the earlier seeding date and the lower plant population, which may have resulted in better weed control, and a lower demand for water and nutrients!
Line 187: There was no Joey or Grandi in 2023.
Lines 294-295: Specify the year, which was 2021, I believe.
Line 298: Needs editing.
It would have been useful to include cannabinoid concentrations, if tests were done, and how they responded to N rates.
In addition to weed pressure, seeding date, plant population, and rainfall; there were also differences in the response (magnitude, correlation) of the hemp cultivars (e.g., Joey vs Grandi) to N rate. May want to discuss this aspect a little more.
The literature references listed in the manuscript were relevant, but there are other references that could have been included.
Overall, a good paper with useful results, but more information could have been included.
Author Response
see attached
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors
The methodology of a scientific experiment requires precisely established varieties, schemes and planting dates, with repeatability of the experiment for a minimum of two years on the same experimental plot. This is a prerequisite for obtaining reliable results. When changing any of the factors of the experiment, such as differences in the climatic characteristics of the year, it requires at least three annual experiments to eliminate the influence of this factor, keeping the same varieties and cultivation schemes. In this experiment, there is a change of varieties and cultivation schemes, which cannot guarantee the reliability of the obtained results.
The change of the experimental part with row spacing of 30 and 19 cm, sowing dates and pre-sowing tillage for the period 2020-2023 are factors that change the influence of nitrogen fertilization, therefore its influence on seed yield cannot be established reliably.
Author Response
see attached
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
