WHAT IS POLYPLOID CANNABIS AND HOW CAN IT BE GROWN?

WHAT IS POLYPLOID CANNABIS AND HOW CAN IT BE GROWN?

Polyploid cannabis is a type of cannabis that is genetically different from regular cannabis plants. This type of mutant cannabis opens the door to new possibilities and opportunities in the cannabis industry. Indeed, according to some studies, polyploid hemp seeds are the next big advance in hemp cultivation.

Cannabis is generally a diploid plant species . This means that their DNA consists of 23 pairs of chromosomes, which are located in the nucleus of the cells. Each pair contains one chromosome from the mother and one from the father. If three or more chromosomes are contained in the nucleus, a triploid or polyploid organism is formed.

Polyploid cannabis is therefore a genetic anomaly. It has more chromosomes clustered in its cells than most cannabis plants.

Typical features of polyploid cannabis

While polyploidy is widespread in other crops such as maize and wheat, it israre in hemp.

The main characteristics of polyploid hemp are:

  • larger leaves,
  • denser hairs,
  • a pronounced terpene profile with a higher number of terpenes,
  • increased CBD content,
  • the same amount of THC.

Advantages of polyploid cannabis

Polyploid cannabis currently has few known benefits. Research has shown that polyploid hemp plants are very productive, hardy and strong. However, these plants do not show significant improvement compared to their predecessors. For example, the content of cannabinoids such as THC and CBD is very close to that of non-mutant plants.

Nevertheless, the slight improvement in the growth and productivity of cannabis plants may be of interest to the cannabis industry, especially when the plant is cultivated on a large scale. Increased plant productivity can then lead to large economic benefits.

Disadvantages of polyploid hemp


One of the disadvantages of polyploids is that their growth habits can be very unpredictable, sometimes even unmanageable. Bud density can be so uncontrollable that it can become almost impossible to ensure sufficient airflow to the core of the plant. This can then lead to inevitable bud rot and mould.

Does polyploid cannabis occur in nature?

Polyploidy is an evolutionary process that is common and natural in plants. Plants such as wheat and corn are great examples of natural polyploidy. Thus, in many plants, polyploidy occurs spontaneously in nature. However, this is not the case with cannabis. Hemp does not have the ability to naturally increase its genome. People therefore use chemical methods to obtain polyploid hemp.

How to grow polyploid hemp?

The most commonly used methods to obtain a stable variety of polyploid cannabis are:

  • The use of colchicine: this drug is used to treat gout in humans. In certain doses it can be very toxic, but it has excellent antimitotic properties, that is, it is able to suppress or stop cell division. Several studies have succeeded in obtaining polyploid cannabis just by applying colchicine to the shoots of growing plants.
  • Use of oryzalin: this herbicide is an alternative to colchicine and is able to block the growth of plant cells. Several studies have succeeded in producing polyploid cannabis by applying oryzalin to parts of the mother plant that have been grown in an artificial environment. Oryzalin has been shown to be a more effective and less toxic means of achieving polyploidy in cannabis plants than colchicine.

A promising future for polyploid cannabis

History has shown that polyploidy can contribute to very profitable crops in many plants. However, in the case of hemp, this is still under investigation. If research into polyploid hemp goes well, it will have huge benefits for the hemp industry. Judging by the number of research studies, we can be sure that polyploid cannabis has a promising future.

Do you already know what polyploid cannabis is? We believe you do. Visit our blog for lots more information and interesting facts.

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