Noid Factoid from Episode 27

In this latest installment of our Noid Knowledge podcast, we are joined by Daniela Vergara, PhD, Hemp Specialist at the Cornell Cooperative Extension, and Anna Schwabe, PhD, Associate Lecture Professor at the University of Colorado, discussing the evolution of cannabis cultivation and the need for regional climate data. Their recent project, funded by the Agricultural Genomics Foundation, studies 10 cannabis varieties grown by farmers in different regions, specifically plant characteristics, soil type, and harvest metrics. They aim to understand how environmental factors affect cannabis yield and quality, providing actionable insights for farmers and breeders.

Here, Dr. Schwabe shares an insight into cannabis cultivation. Listen to the full episode to hear more!

Noid Factoid transcription: I'm Dr Anna Schwabe, and my Noid Factoid is that the environment plays a large role in the phenotypic expression of plants. But in this case, we're talking about cannabis. So if you plant a clone in one area versus another area, and they have very different environments, you could end up with very different plants. And we know this inherently through things like the cannabis Grow-Off, where they all start with a cut from the same plant, and then they grow it in their various conditions, and come back to the table, and they get judged on yield, terpene profile, cannabinoid profile, who has the highest THC, who has the best smoke, whatever the case may be. So think about that. The environment plays a huge role in how your plant is going to turn out. It's not all about genetics.