Researchers Found a New Way to Predict THC vs. CBD in Cannabis Plants

Industrial cannabis growers are watching Cannabis sativa plants during the season and send samples for chemical analysis, but the THC levels peak during plant maturation can give growers a surprise. If the harvest indicators go beyond the federal THC level, growers have to destroy the crop. This makes growing industrial hemp far more dangerous than growing other crops. The University of Minnesota scientists team wants to change this.
The team explored several different variations of the cannabis plant from industrial cannabis growers. A wild cannabis known as ditch grass, and marijuana samples from the National Institute on Drug Abuse became their test subjects. Compared the genetic markers to the THC to CBD ratio, the researches confirmed that genetics is a good predictor of this ratio.
Understanding the genetic basis of plants like CBD and THC has implications for the USDA and government cannabis industrial programs. Being able to know the seeds are CBD before planting is essential, and seeds can be certified to ensure consistency and quality.