Noid Factoid from Episode 27, Part 2

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. Vergara shares her Noid Factoid on cannabis chromosomes. Listen to the full episode to hear more, and be sure to listen to a Noid Factoid from Dr. Schwabe!

For more information on cannabis cultivation research, check out our Women in Grow: Leadership in Cannabis Genetics and Cultivation interactive supplement, featuring in depth interviews with Dr. Schwabe on cannabis genetics, and with Dr. Vergara on cannabis genome complexity and hemp farming.

Noid Factoid transcription: I am Dr Daniela Vergara, and the cannabis genome for males is much bigger than the cannabis genome for females, because the Y chromosome is much larger. We do not yet have an assembly, so we have not yet pieced together the Y chromosome, nor the chromosome for monoecious individuals, which have the same genome size as the females. So we know that the monoecious individuals do not have a Y chromosome. However, we still do not know the differences between the monoecious chromosomes and the female chromosomes.