The cannabis plant is one of the most dynamic plants on earth, and as such, it’s also a very fun plant to cultivate. Whereas some plant varieties take a long time to grow from start to finish, the cannabis plant matures very quickly when cultivated properly.
As with most crops, there are different subvarieties of the cannabis plant, often informally referred to as ‘strains.’ Different strains have different properties, with some of those properties being more or less desirable than others.
The concept of differing desirability levels of properties and attributes among crop varieties is far from unique to cannabis, and cultivators of all types of crops have used a method known as ‘grafting’ over the years to combine the best attributes of multiple varieties of one or more crops.
Australian Study
Scientists in Australia recently grafted multiple cannabis varieties using what they described as a ‘new’ way to graft cannabis plants.
“We developed a grafting methodology specifically for medicinal cannabis, involving a single step, in which a freshly cut scion is grafted to a freshly cut donor stem that will become the rootstock. This study also aimed to uncover a potential role for roots in influencing cannabinoid content,” the researchers said.
“Two varieties with desirable attributes but cultivation limitations were selected to act as scions. The first, “CBD1” was a high CBDA accumulating variety with low biomass yield, and the second, “THC2”, was a high yielding, high THCA accumulating line with inconsistent root development during cloning. Two candidate rootstocks, “THC9r” and “THC8r”, were identified; both were high THCA, low CBDA varieties,” researchers said.
“Our results present a new grafting method for medicinal Cannabis that improved yield in THC2 and required no additional cultivation time,” the report said.
What Is THCA?
For those that are new to cannabis or are not very familiar with the cannabis plant’s chemistry, the cannabis plant is comprised of dozens of cannabinoids. Two of the most popular and well-known cannabinoids are tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).
THCA is far less known, although that is changing as time goes by. THCA stands for tetrahydrocannabinolic acid and it is the precursor to THC. As with most, if not all, cannabinoids THCA possesses wellness properties.
The cannabinoid, which is the most abundant non-psychoactive cannabinoid in the cannabis plant, has been found to possess anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties as well as the potential to reduce nausea and vomiting.
As more becomes known about THCA, global demand will increase, and that increase in demand will no doubt be met by savvy entrepreneurs that bring THCA to the marketplace in whatever manner is permitted.
With that in mind, being able to boost THCA yield is a good thing, especially when considering that the scientists in Australia indicated that no additional growth time was necessary to achieve the higher THCA yield when incorporating their grafting method.
This article was first published on InternationalCannabisChronicle.com.
