Can pollination cause terpene expression change?

CannaRed · Mar 23, 2019

I recently pollenated a skunk special. It usually has a fruity smell (regardless of it's name), but this time, it smells of cat piss, and its odor over powers the rest of the plants.

I know that being pollenated causes hormonal changes. Do these hormones relate to creation or expression of terpenes?

Any links to threads or better yet a study? It's not exactly an easy thing to search for on here.

mack 10 · Mar 23, 2019

Think you answered your own q.
I've wondered this too.
Skunkman about?

CannaRed · Mar 24, 2019

I wasn't sure. I also switched up and ran her in coco with chem ferts.

Also got a cat. She always uses the box, but she had me worried till I found the leak before the carbon filter.

Once filter working, only the closet stunk and it's coming from the pollenated SS.

J-Icky · Mar 24, 2019

I’d imagine so. Now I have no scientific backing and this is just a theory but as the plant hormones change from producing buds and resins to catch pollen, to producing seeds the chemistry within the plant will also change. With that change in chemistry will come a change in the cannabinoid profile produced by the plant and also a change in terpenes.

I know it’s been said that seeded bid produces a different high than sensi bud but again I have never seen anything scientific to back this up.

The best to really find out for yourself would be a side by side grow of a group of clones. Take 10 clones from a mother and run 5 seedless and then pollinate the other 5 and if there is a difference then you’ll know. I also wouldn’t recommend this test with less than that amount of plants as we all know there are many things that can affect the outcome of a plant. So something like a pest infestation or virus or even placement under a light can have an impact on the plant so by having multiples you can be certain whether there was a change or not. If all 5 of the seeded have a similar change compared to the 5 sensi then you can be certain. If only a couple are different then it’s likely just an environment or input having an effect rather than being seeded.

JetLife175 · Mar 24, 2019

Yes and no in my experience. Certain plants seem to change. From what I can Remember.

OG doesn’t change really, pollination just kinda mutes it’s full expression.

Shoreline Skunk definitely changes from the rank fecal garlic lemon roadkill to just a catpissy garlic type of thing.

91 chem didn’t change in the slightest.

Forum cookies doesn’t change but like the OG loses the full expression.

Sam_Skunkman · Mar 24, 2019

They smell different, but I have no proof. I suggest taking a bud unseeded at 10 weeks and a seeded bud at 10 weeks and having them measured for terpenes. I do know that seeding reduces terpenes the plants is more interested in making the seeds it seems...
http://www.internationalhempassociation.org/jiha/jiha5107.html

mack 10 · Mar 24, 2019

There you go.
Thanks Sam.

NEED 4 SEED · Mar 24, 2019

It's my observation too that seeded plants have lower stank.

therevverend · Mar 24, 2019

It's an obvious thing when you purposely pollinate a few branches on an otherwise sinsemilla plant. I've been smoking bowls with a buddy, wanted to test out a flower, reached for a seeded one. My buddy says no, gets out an unseeded flower.

It's got to be a caylx by caylx process. An unseeded caylx will continue to peak in resin and terpene formation even after it's fully swollen. It stays attached firmly to the flower. A seeded caylx will enter senescence quickly, as soon as the seed is mature. Turn yellow or purple, mold if it's wet, and fall apart. To release the seed and make it accessible to seed eaters.

MJPassion · Mar 24, 2019

My experience is similar to jetlife...

Some plants change their terp profile, some don't.

NEED 4 SEED · Mar 24, 2019

It also depends when they get pollinated. If you do it right after the first pistils have formed and not much resin was produced then the plant stays at a lower resin level in my experience and doesn't have the full terpene expression. Do it later in bloom when a good amount of resin was produced and you get more of the actual terpene profile and intensity.

pinkus · Mar 24, 2019

The plant's processes change, so I would imagine that it does. Even if you didn't notice I would wager that it does change the expression.

CannaRed · Mar 25, 2019

JetLife175 said:
Yes and no in my experience. Certain plants seem to change. From what I can Remember.

OG doesn’t change really, pollination just kinda mutes it’s full expression.

Shoreline Skunk definitely changes from the rank fecal garlic lemon roadkill to just a catpissy garlic type of thing.

91 chem didn’t change in the slightest.

Forum cookies doesn’t change but like the OG loses the full expression.

Should have known... Strain dependent.

CannaRed · Mar 25, 2019

J-Icky said:
I’d imagine so. Now I have no scientific backing and this is just a theory but as the plant hormones change from producing buds and resins to catch pollen, to producing seeds the chemistry within the plant will also change. With that change in chemistry will come a change in the cannabinoid profile produced by the plant and also a change in terpenes.

I know it’s been said that seeded bid produces a different high than sensi bud but again I have never seen anything scientific to back this up.

The best to really find out for yourself would be a side by side grow of a group of clones. Take 10 clones from a mother and run 5 seedless and then pollinate the other 5 and if there is a difference then you’ll know. I also wouldn’t recommend this test with less than that amount of plants as we all know there are many things that can affect the outcome of a plant. So something like a pest infestation or virus or even placement under a light can have an impact on the plant so by having multiples you can be certain whether there was a change or not. If all 5 of the seeded have a similar change compared to the 5 sensi then you can be certain. If only a couple are different then it’s likely just an environment or input having an effect rather than being seeded.

I didn't pollinate the whole plant. So one little experiment would be to see if there is a difference between the buds off the same plant.

I'm small time. Need more room to do it proper like.

Thanks!

CannaRed · Mar 25, 2019

Sam_Skunkman said:
They smell different, but I have no proof. I suggest taking a bud unseeded at 10 weeks and a seeded bud at 10 weeks and having them measured for terpenes. I do know that seeding reduces terpenes the plants is more interested in making the seeds it seems...
https://www.internationalhempassociation.org/jiha/jiha5107.html

Wow, thanks for responding. Much respect, but I'm in prohibitionland, and definitely not in a position to have any samples tested.

Maybe it reduced overall terpenes, but that ratio change could cause the shift from fruity to cat piss?
Thanks for the link. I have some reading to do.

CannaRed · Mar 25, 2019

NEED 4 SEED said:
It also depends when they get pollinated. If you do it right after the first pistils have formed and not much resin was produced then the plant stays at a lower resin level in my experience and doesn't have the full terpene expression. Do it later in bloom when a good amount of resin was produced and you get more of the actual terpene profile and intensity.

Good point. I didn't think of that. Yet another path of experiments.

CannaRed · May 11, 2019

Update:
Cured buds still have a little bit of cat piss smell. Although I don't seem to smell it, my wife does. Every once in a while I catch a whiff while breaking up a bud.
My wife however smells it strongly.

A few days ago I brought a bud into the room and wife said " you've got the cat piss weed again."

So we have not smelled catpiss on this strain before. Only after it was pollenated. For me the smell was strongest in the grow chamber, and slowly went away during curing.
But my nose is not as sensitive to this compound.

.

CannaRed · May 11, 2019

Test botched

Test botched

Forgot-

As far as testing different branches:. That will have to be another run, because there were a few accidental seeds scattered thru the plant so testing would be skewed

7starfarms · May 20, 2019

I had a run last year with a faulty timer board caused a room to herm out 2 runs in a row before it got realised , the terps on the strains in thers were exactly the same as any other time I ran it ..

Can pollination cause terpene expression change?

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