Publication of the first scientific study on the professional reproduction of marijuana
Researchers at the University of Guelph have published what is believed to be the first scientific paper on improving the production of herbal medicinal cannabis. This is helping to move the cannabis industry into the realm of high-tech labs and evidence-based cultivation practices. This is the first scientific study in order to obtain the best from a professional reproduction of the marijuana plant.
Professional reproduction
Zheng, along with Professor Mike Dixon and PhD student Deron Caplan, studied optimal fertilizer rates and soilless growth substrates. Including the ratio required to grow cannabis plants with a higher amount of medicinal components and a better yield. In addition, the study is funded in part by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. The results were recently published in the journal HortScience.
“The cultivation of marijuana has been illegal for many years. And there is hardly any scientific research so far on how to produce this culture, ”said Professor Youbin Zheng. “There has been no science guiding this industry. "
This is the first in a series of studies investigating ideal horticultural practices for indoor cannabis breeding.
“The University of Guelph is one of the best universities in the world for horticultural research. Especially for controlled crop production, ”said Mr. Zheng, environmental horticulture graduate at the School of Environmental Sciences. “We have the cutting edge technology and expertise to lead this area of research. And we are well positioned to train horticulturalists for the cannabis industry.
The University has been conducting scientific research on the production of cannabis for scientific purposes for several years. Legislative changes have allowed more growers to work in the search for expertise.
“This allowed us to have a more intense focus on this type of research. "
The newly published study looked at the performance of the plant during the vegetative stage. The researchers determined the optimal amount of fertilizer and developed two growth substrates (soilless). This is in order to produce plants with a high yield of THC and CBD.
Second scientific study to come
A second article, which will soon appear in HortScience, will examine the ideal fertilizer rates. But also, the growing substrate conditions for plants at the flowering stage. The research team is currently studying lighting and irrigation to produce quality, high-yielding cannabis.
“Controlling the light spectrum, for example, offers the possibility of standardizing the concentration of cannabidiol. It is the chemical component of medical marijuana that does not appear to cause intoxicating effects. Said Dixon, director of the Center for Environmental Controlled Systems Research. "We have this unique expertise and we can now apply it to an area that has not yet been scientifically studied"
The prohibitionists are preventing attempts to make cannabis plants more powerful. And few professionals make the most of artificial sources of light and nutrients. It is true that the cultivation of cannabis has been examined and tested by many farmers. But for the first time in the best conditions in North America by researchers. And if the young industry in the future benefits from these results, it will only grow in quality.
A whole series of University surveys - shows the ideal ratio of organic fertilizers for growing cannabis on coir substrates. In addition, the University of Gueloph, which specializes in plant breeding, scientifically deals with the cultivation of medical cannabis. However, what explains the haste of the teams, the expertise is that the nascent industry is very little documented in the field. Soon the data will be new to contemporary cannabis ...
