[socioecologist]

It's sometimes difficult to step back and appreciate the opportunity we have been given to fully explore all of our questions/hypotheses about cannabis breeding, but this week gave us pause. With as many irons in the fire as we have, good news and bad news abound in equal proportions, so it was with a lot of trepidation that we opened up the 3-week-overdue spreadsheet of test results sent to us by our lab last Wednesday. Let the roller coaster begin!

Our 5 "early" series varieties are verified as type III cannabis plants. We expected this, but confirmation is always necessary (more on this below). In my photoperiod sensitivity experiment on these lines, all 5 varieties started flowering at about 15 hours of daylight--that's mid-July at 45N. They are about 2.5 weeks into flowering now and have completely taken over their space--really looking forward to the next few weeks as they start to smell!



We are stoked that our hypothesis re: photo sensitivity is again validated after our initial field trials last season: this is a breeding tool that allows ALL cannabis farmers to get their crops in earlier. We are very excited about the options that presents to us and other breeders. There will be additional experimental lines using this tool kit in our R&D field this summer (just flipped the greenhouse to produce these), including two different Haze hybrids converted to CBD production. I can't wait for these!

We also found out that one whole greenhouse was comprised of compromised plants--a final latent consequence of last season's massive cross-pollination event. It means 50 acres less in feminized seed production for us in 2017. Not stoked about that.

A couple of our leaf sample tests confused the hell out of the lab tech who ran them; there was barely any CBD, even less THC, and mostly some other compound--he thought their fancy new HPLC was busted. Nope, that's just a CBG-predominant plant...we're very happy, as this confirms another hypothesis we have been testing and opens up the door to large scale CBG farming next year. Look for the first commercial release of feminized CBG production seeds in the spring of 2018!

Testing accuracy remains a significant concern, even with our lab's incredibly rigorous ORELAP/NELAP certification. Case in point: as I mentioned in this thread, we received (what was purported to be) an extremely high ratio Cannatonic cut last summer from some friends out of Colorado. Their trimmed flowers tested at 20% CBD and 0.34% THC by a Colorado lab: a 58:1 ratio. We had a leaf sample tested by our lab immediately after receiving the plant, which produced an identical result of 58:1. Our friends flowered it out here in Oregon and produced trimmed flowers with 15% CBD and 0.62% THC (24:1). Confused, we submitted 5 new leaf samples for early ratio testing off of large, mature clones vegging in a greenhouse. Keep in mind these are identical plants...the results: 24:1, 68:1, 63:1, 23:1, and 154:1. Mean ratio in 5 samples: 66.4:1. That's 2.7x higher than we know this plant to be! A couple lessons embedded here: (1) do NOT trust test results from labs who are not required to be externally validated by competent certification bodies and (2) leaf sample ratios are great tools for identifying gross chemotype differences (i.e. type I, II, III, and IV plants), but are consistently inaccurate predictors of quantitative ratios. It's frustrating to know this, but will ultimately make us better at what we do.

The average ratios on our 5 "early" lines demonstrate how problematic this becomes when you are trying to provide the most accurate advice to farmers. We tested 61 plants total; the mean value for each variety was: 40.9, 28, 29.1, 32, and 39.2. Is this accurate? From what we know of these lines, it very well could be...but getting actual 40:1 averages in finished flowers isn't something we've been able to achieve from a breeding standpoint yet--who knows, maybe it's accurate. The lesson here is that, despite our best wishes and intentions, the only truly valid test for determining an average ratio for a variety requires large sample sizes and testing of finished flowers by an accredited lab. More to come on that front later in the spring.

[Bradley_Danks]

That's good to see that your early outdoor strains flowered around the same time indoors. That's a great way to pheno hunt for early outdoor strains it looks like!! Great work thus far

[PDX Dopesmoker]

Great experiment in light cycle manipulation, thats the first time I've ever seen anyone try that, thanks for posting up the info. That CBG result is almost as interesting, have you had any significant results with any other of the lesser (& as yet unscheduled) cannabinoids?

[humble1]

Originally Posted by Sam_Skunkman

I dislike CBD as it delays onset of THC, reduces peak experience, and makes the reduced effects last longer. Not what I want. We did make the first high CBD only variety but not for recreational use, back in the 80's and 90's you could not get pure cannabinoids for standards besides THC, we wanted to change that. And allow others to work with all the cannabinoids, so we created sources for most of them.
-SamS

Sam,
Any chance you would release the high CBD only variety you developed? I understand it is not what you want, but for others it may be exactly what they want for anti-inflammatory or anti-seizure purposes.

Thank you.

[socioecologist]

Originally Posted by humble1

Sam,
Any chance you would release the high CBD only variety you developed? I understand it is not what you want, but for others it may be exactly what they want for anti-inflammatory or anti-seizure purposes.

Thank you.

I don't think it is Sam's to give any more, but someone could correct me if I'm wrong. Pretty sure all of those lines belong to GW now; they were the subject of this wonderful bit of news today:

https://www.leafly.com/news/politics...-cbd-bills-low

Take a look at the research from de Meijer et al. over the years and you'll see that the market today contains better / more varied options for CBD production than GW could ever offer. Cannabis is too diverse to be pigeon-holed by any one person or company and it is at our own peril when we forget that. Regardless of how pretty the most recent developments are

[oldchuck]

Very pretty flower, S.

Your CBG result is interesting. Isn't that the precursor for both THC and CBD? If so then can resin from such a plant be easily converted to either one? Sounds like you have a genetic anomaly with that one.

[Robrites]

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in consultation with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has developed a Statement of Principles on Industrial Hemp to inform the public how Federal law applies to activities associated with industrial hemp that is grown and cultivated in accordance with Section 7606 of the Agricultural Act of 2014. The purpose of this notice is to set forth the statement in its entirety.

Read the Rest

[socioecologist]

Originally Posted by Robrites

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in consultation with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has developed a Statement of Principles on Industrial Hemp to inform the public how Federal law applies to activities associated with industrial hemp that is grown and cultivated in accordance with Section 7606 of the Agricultural Act of 2014. The purpose of this notice is to set forth the statement in its entirety.

Read the Rest

All part of the same denial of existing federal law by the DEA. DEA MUST follow federal law and they (along with the USDA) are capriciously misinterpreting what Congress very clearly elucidated with Sec. 7606 in 2014 and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016.

The response provided by the architect of federal hemp law (Sen. President Mitch McConnell) flatly challenges the DEA/USDA on this matter. He unequivocally states that both agencies are flagrantly in violation of federal law if they attempt to enforce their non-binding letter of guidance (i.e. christmas wish list). Full letter available here. Highly recommended reading to understand how this is playing out at the federal level.

[socioecologist]

Capriciously.
Elucidated.
Flatly.
Unequivocally.
Flagrantly.

What a dork. Sorry Robrites, my adjectives are for the DEA and I get fired up on my mandatory day away from the farm.

[Under Mi Sensi]

Hey Soc Ec:

Have you heard about these guys? The are killing it with their CBD pills...20mg CBD per capsule. Taking CBD hemp by storm here in VT... Thoughts?

Does your product/seeds/genetics compare with what they got going on? They claim to be 100% compliant THC wise lab testinging included....Which I find to be an issue with most CBD hemp providers.

www.greenmountaincbd.com

https://www.instagram.com/greenmountaincbd/