Cloning Successive Generations of Industrial Hemp (Cannabis sativa) to Assess Cannabinoid Profiles

Abstract

Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa) has made a remarkable impact worldwide due to the plant’s beneficial properties and versatile use. Vegetative cuttings (clones) of C. sativa are the preferred propagation technique to be the most effective to retain the same genetic information and to reduce hybridization and mutations. The objective of this project was to assess cannabinoid profile concentrations of successively cloned generations of 5 varieties: Cherry, Cherry Blossom, Cherry x Workhorse, Sour Space Candy, and The Wife. This research project focused on the idea that every cloned plant contains the exact same genetic information and, therefore, should have the same metabolic profile of cannabinoids through all the successive generations grown, which is shown to be true. The results of my study show that there is not a significant difference in cannabinoids over successive generations showing no major trends. KEYWORDS: Cloning; Vegetative cuttings; Industrial Hemp; Metabolism; Cannabinoids; Successive generations; Cannabinoid profiles; Cannabis sativa; sativa; HPLC; High Performance Liquid Chromatography; Plant; Generations; Propagation; Clones