Cannabis cultivation is increasingly challenged by fungal pathogens and pests, while regulatory restrictions limit the use of chemical treatments. This study explores the application of fennel essential oil, yeast lysate, plant beneficial microbes, and biochar as a sustainable strategy to enhance disease resistance, pest control, and phytocannabinoid production. A fennel oil nanoemulsion exhibited a significant antifungal activity against Botrytis cinerea under in vitro and in vivo conditions. The combination of fennel oil nanoemulsion and yeast lysate significantly reduced Botrytis cinerea and Golovinomyces disease symptoms and repelled spider mites under greenhouse conditions. The combined treatment also increased phytocannabinoid levels, including cannabidiol (CBD), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), cannabigerolic acid (CBGA), and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA-A). Additionally, after application of fennel oil nanoemulsion with yeast lysate, the plants treated with microbial inoculants (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, AMF, or a mixture of AMF, plant growth-promoting bacteria, and Trichoderma carried on microgranules of biochar) exhibited significantly higher content of several cannabinoids than plants treated with microbial inoculants alone. This study underscored the potential of integrating nanoemulsified essential oils, yeast lysate, and microbial inoculants for improving pest and disease management and cannabinoid yields into cannabis production, proposing an eco-friendly alternative to synthetic pesticides and fertilisers. • Fennel oil nanoemulsion was efficient against Botrytis cinerea . • Fennel oil nanoemulsion with yeast lysate conferred pest and disease resistance. • Fennel oil nanoemulsion with yeast lysate increased the content of cannabinoids. • The proposed approach is suitable for eco-sustainable hemp production.
Soperová et al. (Wed,) studied this question.