Research is helping create better, stronger cannabis crops
Choosing the best days to harvest your cannabis plants will depend on several factors (weather, pests, genetics and more). This is a task that can become a bit complicated for some growers, especially for those who are more novices in the activity. It is no secret that the most rewarding moment of growing cannabis is the harvest, and that’s why science has taken care of providing new hyper-detailed images of cannabis to help researchers find optimal times to perform this process.
Experts at Canadian Light Source in Saskatoon have shared some specific new images that will be essential for cannabis growers to know what is the ideal harvest time for the plant. The research at the National Research Council is led by Teagen Quilichini, who did not hesitate to say that these images are highly “innovative.”
To create very detailed images of the plant and study its chemical composition, the experts used the BXDS High Energy Wiggler Beamline and Mid-IR Beamline at the Canadian Light Source synchrotron. “Because of the long prohibition, we have had very limited information and almost no research done on cannabis. It’s time for us to catch up to inform the medical community and improve cultivation practices,” said Quilichini.
The plant’s trichomes were the focus of Quilichini’s team’s attention. Trichomes are epidermal cells that arise on the surface of the flowers and leaves of marijuana plants and evolve from a simple sphere to a stem that takes on the shape of a mushroom. Trichomes contain the main psychoactive substances in marijuana, such as THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol), as well as some terpenes that interact with the effect produced by marijuana.
The research team determined that the quantity and types of trichomes vary greatly during the growth of the plant. “This can inform better breeding and cultivation practices, but it will also allow us to select plants based on what we want them to do,” concludes the specialist.