Agronomic management decisions can alter plant foliar traits, especially nutritional quality, with potential to influence plant–herbivore interactions. Herbivores balance consumption of plant tissue for nutritional gains related to growth and development while contending with plant traits that may deter herbivory or are toxic. This study evaluates the influence of management decisions on the foliar quality of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa) and the impact on the performance of fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda). We included three common management decisions in this study: fertilization rate, cultivar choice, and planting date. In a no-choice feeding trial, fall armyworm larvae were fed leaves of field-grown hemp from three different cultivars that received different rates of fertilizer and were planted on two different dates. We quantified levels of foliar nitrogen, the ratio of carbon to nitrogen, leaf mass per unit area, and concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol, and determined the influence of foliar quality on herbivore performance. Fertilization rate, cultivar, and the interactions of planting date with both fertilization rate and cultivar influenced multiple aspects of hemp foliar quality. Overall, fertilization had the largest influence on foliar quality and subsequent herbivore performance. Variation in foliar traits influenced herbivore performance. Foliar nitrogen had a positive impact on fall armyworm performance and the ratios of carbon and total cannabinoids to nitrogen had negative impacts on fall armyworm performance. Our findings show that management decisions in industrial hemp can affect plant–insect interactions through changes in foliar quality. These outcomes suggest that developing crop management recommendations for pest management will be important for a re-emerging crop like industrial hemp.

农艺管理决策可以改变植物的叶性状，尤其是营养质量，从而可能影响植物与草食动物的相互作用。食草动物平衡植物组织的消耗以获取与生长和发育相关的营养，同时还要对抗可能阻止食草或有毒的植物性状。本研究评估了管理决策对工业大麻（Cannabis sativa）叶质量和对秋季夜蛾（Spodoptera frugiperda）性能的影响。）。在这项研究中，我们包括了三个常见的管理决策：施肥率，品种选择和播种日期。在一项非选择喂养试验中，秋天粘虫幼虫被喂食了来自三个不同品种的田间生长的大麻叶，这些品种获得了不同的肥料用量，并在两个不同的日期种植。我们量化了叶面氮的含量，碳氮比，单位面积的叶片质量以及四氢大麻酚和大麻二酚的浓度，并确定了叶面质量对草食动物性能的影响。施肥率，品种以及播种期与施肥率和品种的相互作用影响大麻叶质量的多个方面。总体而言，施肥对叶面质量和随后的草食动物性能影响最大。叶性状的变化影响了草食动物的表现。叶氮对秋季粘虫的性能有积极影响，碳和总大麻素与氮的比例对秋季粘虫的性能有不利影响。我们的发现表明，工业大麻中的管理决策可通过叶质量的变化影响植物与昆虫的相互作用。这些结果表明，制定针对虫害管理的作物管理建议对于像工业大麻这样的新兴作物至关重要。我们的发现表明，工业大麻中的管理决策可通过叶质量的变化影响植物与昆虫的相互作用。这些结果表明，制定针对虫害管理的作物管理建议对于像工业大麻这样的新兴作物至关重要。我们的发现表明，工业大麻中的管理决策可通过叶质量的变化影响植物与昆虫的相互作用。这些结果表明，制定针对虫害管理的作物管理建议对于像工业大麻这样的新兴作物至关重要。