Crop Physiology of Medical Cannabis; effect of light environment on production and inflorescence quality

The use of cannabis as a medical treatment has propelled interest and research within the rapidly expanding cannabis industry. However, the medical cannabis industry currently faces a great challenge in ensuring an adequate quantity and quality of cannabis. With the medical cannabis industry rapidly evolving so arises the need to improve and standardize production to develop uniform medical products. This urges the need to know how environmental factors such as light intensity and spectrum affect the crop morphology and specialised metabolism of Cannabis sativa L. This research project aims to explore the physiological, morphological, and metabolic responses of C. sativa to (1) light intensity, (2) red/blue light fraction, and (3) supplemental far-red. The experiments are performed in climate controlled chambers with varieties varying in trans-Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to cannabidiol (CBD) concentrations. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) measurements are done to determine cannabinoids and terpene content. Gas exchange measurements are performed to measure operational photosynthesis and to construct light- and CO2 response curves.