A recently completed genome map of the cannabis sativa plant has potential benefits for hemp and marijuana growers.
Cannabis sativa is the plant species that includes hemp and marijuana.
University of Saskatchewan biology professor Jon Page and University of Toronto professor Tim Hughes have published their research on the genome of cannabis sativa in the JournalGenome Biology.
They sequenced the marijuana strain Purple Kush and the hemp strains Finola and US0-31 during the course of their two-year research project.
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“The genome of a plant is … the blue print for how it’s put together.… It gives you an idea of how all of the plant works together to produce its final form and its final products,” said Page.
“Our work will allow other researchers to study and breed cannabis for different applications.”
The mapping of the cannabis sativa genome “provides a genomic resource that can be used to develop … both (the) agricultural and biomedical uses of the plant,” Page said.
Research will initially benefit the scientific community and then eventually farmers, he said.
Hemp growers will be able to use the information to produce plants with improved yields and quality.
Active ingredient varies
Page said the genomic mapping discovered that hemp and marijuana differ at the genetic level.
The difference lies in level of THC, the substance that provides the euphoric or relaxed feeling in humans when eaten or smoked.
Hemp, which has less than 0.3 percent THC, can be used as a food grain and as a source of fibre for clothing, rope, netting and paper.
Farmers have grown hemp in Canada for seed and fibre since 1998 under the Industrial Hemp Regulations. About 62,000 acres were grown last year.
Marijuana production and human consumption is regulated in Canada because of its higher THC content. It is legally available for specific medical purposes under the Marijuana Medical Access Regulations.
Medical marijuana is grown by Prairie Plant Systems Inc. under government approval.
Hemp and marijuana have been used by humans for more than 5,000 years.
The cannabis sativa genome research and mapping project is the first conducted on a medical plant.
The joint research project was initiated because of a shared interest in the multi-facetted nature and uses of cannabis sativa.
