Medical cannabis production: Starting from the root ...

Medical cannabis production: Starting from the root zone Deron Caplan Advisor: Dr. Youbin Zheng Canadian Greenhouse Conference Oct 5, 2017

Cannabis sativa • Annual dioecious species • Cannabinoids •

– Secondary metabolites – Trichomes on female flowers Indoor production – Vegetative and flowering growth stages

• Legal North American spending: $26.7 billion USD in 2016 (ArcView

Market Research, 2017)

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Background & Objective • Sparse information on horticultural management of cannabis

Objective: Optimize and standardize controlled environment cannabis production 3

Experimental conditions

ABcann.ca

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Propagation trial • •

Evaluated the effects of leaf number, cutting position, rooting hormone, and removal of leaf tips Optimal: apical or basal positions, at least

three, uncut leaves, treatment with IBA

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Growing substrates and fertilizer rates Vegetative Stage • Substrates:

ABcann UNIMIX 1 (Wetter) ABcann UNIMIX 1- HP (Drier)

• •

Both substrates: acceptable growth and yield Optimal fertilizer rates

Cannabis plants in custom formulated growing substrates

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Vegetative-stage fertilizer rate 50

0 .3 5 Y = 0 .1 7 0 7 + 0 .0 0 0 6 5 5 4 ·X - 7 .8 4 0 e - 7 · X 2 ; R 2 = 0 . 4 2

45 40

T H C (% )

F lo ra l d ry w e ig h t (g /p la n t)

Y = 4 .6 6 6 + 0 .1 9 1 4 · X - 0 .0 0 0 2 4 7 8 · X 2 ; R 2 = 0 . 3 4

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0 .3 0

0 .2 5

30 25 20 100

0 .2 0

200

300

400

F e rtiliz e r r a te (m g N ·L

500 -1

)

Yield response to vegetative-stage fertilizer rate

600

100

200

300

400

F e rtiliz e r r a te (m g N ·L

500 -1

600

)

THC concentration in dry floral material response to vegetativestage fertilizer rate

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Growing substrates and fertilizer rates

ABcann UNIMIX 2 (Wetter) ABcann UNIMIX 2- HP (Drier)

• •

Drier substrate: Higher yield and cannabinoid concentration Dilution of some cannabinoids with increasing fertilizer rate

60

2

2

Y ( U 2 - H P ) = 6 .6 6 4 + 0 .3 3 0 5 · X - 0 .0 0 0 6 3 4 3 · X ; R = 0 .7 0

F lo ra l d ry w e ig h t (g /p la n t)

Flowering Stage • Substrates:

Y (U 2 )

2

= 1 5 .4 8 + 0 .1 1 4 0 · X ; R = 0 .7 1

50

40

30 U 2 -H P U2

20

50

100

150

200

250

300

-1

F e rtiliz e r ra te (m g N ·L )

Yield response to fertilizer rate in two substrates

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Flowering-stage substrates

U2

U2-HP

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Flowering-stage fertilizer rate Organic fertilizer rate (mg·L-1 nitrogen)

5cm

Effect of organic fertilizer rate on floral dry weight of cannabis

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Publications Optimal rate of organic fertilizer during the vegetative-stage for cannabis grown in two coir-based substrates (2017) D. Caplan, M. Dixon and Y. Zheng. Hortscience (In Press) Optimal rate of organic fertilizer during the flowering-stage for cannabis grown in two coir-based substrates (2017) D. Caplan, M. Dixon and Y. Zheng. Hortscience (In Press) 11

More research from our lab • • • •

Lighting Substrates and fertilization Irrigation management Optimal environmental parameters

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Acknowledgements

Advisor: Dr. Youbin Zheng Committee: Dr. Mike Dixon, Dr. Ian Tetlow 13