[Milonix420]

I'm posting this becouse i think this is good info and i posted it becouse for those members i cant buy the book

[Milonix420]

Introduction
Cannabis, commonly known in the United States as
marijuana, is a wondrous plant an ancient plant and an
ally of humanity for over ten thousand years. The pro-
found impact Cannabis has had on the development and
spread of civilization and conversely, the profound effects
we've had on the plant's evolution are just now being
discovered.
Cannabis was one of the earliest and most important
plants placed under cultivation by prehistoric Asian
peoples. Virtually every part of the plant is usable. From
the stem comes hemp, a very long, strong fiber used to
make rope, cloth, and paper renowned for durability. The
dried leaves and flowers become the euphoriant, marijuana,
and along with the root, are also used for numerous medi-
cines. The seeds were a staple food in ancient China, one of
their major "grains." Cannabis seeds are somewhat unpala-
table and are now cultivated mainly for oil or for animal
feed. The oil is similar to linseed and is used for paint and
varnish making, fuel, and lubrication.
Cultivated Cannabis quickly spread westward from its
native Asia and by Roman times hemp was grown in almost
every European country. In Africa, marijuana was the pre-
ferred product, smoked both ritually and for pleasure.
When the first colonists came to America they, quite
naturally, brought hemp seed with them for rope and
home-spun cloth. Hemp fiber for ships' rigging was so im-
portant to the English navy that colonists were paid boun-
ties to grow hemp and in some states, penalties were
imposed on those who didn't. Prior to the Civil War, the
hemp industry was second only to cotton in the South.
Today, Cannabis grows around the world and is, in
fact, considered the most widely distributed of all culti-
vated plants, a testimony to the plant's tenacity and adapt-
able nature as well as to its usefulness and economic value.
Unlike many plants, Cannabis never lost the ability to
flourish without human help despite, perhaps, six millennia
of cultivation.
Whenever ecological circumstances permit, the plants
readily "escape" cultivation by becoming weedy and estab-
lishing "wild" populations. Weedy Cannabis, descended
from the bygone hemp industry, grows in all but the more
arid areas of the United States. Unfortunately, these weeds
usually make a very poor grade marijuana.
Such an adaptable plant, brought to a wide range of
environments, and cultivated and bred for a multitude of
products, understandably evolved a great number of dis-
tinctive strains or varieties, each one uniquely suited to
local needs and growing conditions. Many of these varieties
may be lost through extinction and hybridization unless a
concerted effort is made to preserve them. This book pro-
vides the basis for such an undertaking.
There are likely more varieties of marijuana being
grown or held as seeds in this country than any other.
While traditional marijuana growers in Asia and Africa,
typically, grow the same, single variety their forebears
grew, American growers seek and embrace varieties from
all parts of the world. Very potent, early-flowering varieties
are especially prized because they can complete maturation
even in the northernmost states. The Cannabis stock in the
United Nations seed bank is at best, depleted and in dis-
array. American growers are in the best position to prevent
further loss of valuable varieties by saving, cataloguing, and
propagating their seeds.
Marijuana Botany-the Propagation and Breeding of
Distinctive Cannabis is an important and most welcome
book. Its main thrust is the presentation of the scientific
and horticultural principles, along with their practical ap-
plications, necessary for the breeding and propagation of
Cannabis and in particular, marijuana. This book will appeal
not only to the professional researcher, but to the mari-
juana enthusiast or anyone with an eye to the future of
Cannabis products.
To marijuana growers who wish to improve or up-
grade their varieties, the book is an invaluable reference.
Basic theories and practices for breeding pure stock or
hybrids, cloning, grafting, or breeding to improve quali
ties such as potency or yield, are covered in a clear, easy-
to-follow text which is liberally complemented with draw-
ings, charts, and graphs by the author. Rob Clarke's
drawings reflect his love of Cannabis. They sensitively
capture the plant's elegance and ever-changing beauty while
being always informative and accurately rendered.
The reader not familiar with botanical terms need not
be intimidated by a quick glance at the text. All terms are
defined when they are introduced and there is also a glos-
sary with definitions geared to usage. Anyone familiar with
the plant will easily adopt the botanical terms.
Years from now, many a marijuana smoker may un-
knowingly be indebted to this book for the exotic varieties
that will be preserved and new ones that will be developed.
Growers will especially appreciate the expert information
on marijuana propagation and breeding so attractively and
clearly presented.

Mel Frank
author, Marijuana Growers' Guide

[Milonix420]

Preface
Turn again our captivity, 0 Lord,
as the streams in the dry land.
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
He that goeth forth and weepeth,
bearing precious seed,
shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
bringing his sheaves with him.
-Psalms 126: 4-6

Cannabis is one of the world's oldest cultivated plants.
Currently, however, Cannabis cultivation and use is illegal
or legally restricted around the globe. Despite constant
official control, Cannabis cultivation and use has spread
to every continent and nearly every nation. Cultivated and
wild Cannabis flourishes in temperate and tropical climates
worldwide. Three hundred million users form a strong un-
dercurrent beneath the flowing tide of eradication. To
judge by increasing official awareness of the economic
potentials of Cannabis, legalization seems inevitable al-
though slow. Yet as Cannabis faces eventual legalization it
is threatened by extinction. Government-sanctioned and
-supported spraying with herbicides and other forms of
eradication have chased ancient Cannabis strains from their
native homes.
Cannabis has great potential for many commercial
uses. According to a recent survey of available research by
Turner, Elsohly and Boeren (1980) of the Research Insti-
tute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Missis-
sippi, Cannabis contains 421 known compounds, and new
ones are constantly being discovered and reported. Without
further understanding of the potentials of Cannabis as a
source of fiber, fuel, food, industrial chemicals and medi-
cine it seems thoughtless to support eradication campaigns.
World politics also threaten Cannabis. Rural Cannabis
farming cultures of the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Cen
tral America and Mrica face political unrest and open
aggression. Cannabis seeds cannot be stored forever. If they
are not planted and reproduced each year a strain could be
lost. Whales, big cats, and redwoods are all protected in
preserves established by national and international laws.
Plans must also be implemented to protect Cannabis cul-
tures and rare strains from certain extinction.
Agribusiness is excited at the prospect of supplying
America's 20 million Cannabis users with domestically
grown commercial marijuana. As a result, development of
uniform patented hybrid strains by multinational agricul-
tural firms is inevitable. The morality of plant patent laws
has been challenged for years. For humans to recombine
and then patent the genetic material of another living or-
ganism, especially at the expense of the original organism,
certainly offends the moral sense of many concerned citi-
zens. Does the slight recombination of a plant's genetic
material by a breeder give him the right to own that organ-
ism and its offspring? Despite public resistance voiced by
conservation groups, the Plant Variety Protection Act of
1970 was passed and currently allows the patenting of 224
vegetable crops. New amendments could grant patent
holders exclusive rights for 18 years to distribute, import,
export and use for breeding purposes their newly devel-
oped strains. Similar conventions worldwide could further
threaten genetic resources. Should patented varieties of
Cannabis become reality it might be illegal to grow any
strain other than a patented variety, especially for food or
medicinal uses. Limitations could also be imposed such
that only low-THC strains would be patentable. This could
lead to restrictions on small-scale growing of Cannabis;
commercial growers could not take the chance of stray
pollinations from private plots harming a valuable seed
crop. Proponents of plant patenting claim that patents will
encourage the development of new varieties. In fact, patent
laws encourage the spread of uniform strains devoid of the
genetic diversity which allows improvements. Patent laws
have also fostered intense competition between breeders
and the suppression of research results which if made pub-
lic could speed crop improvement. A handful of large cor-
porations hold the vast majority of plant patents. These
conditions will make it impossible for cultivators of native
strains to compete with agribusiness and could lead to the
further extinction of native strains now surviving on small
farms in North America and Europe. Plant improvement
in itself presents no threat to genetic reserves. However,
the support and spread of improved strains by large cor-
porations could prove disastrous.

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Like most major crops, Cannabis originated outside
North America in still-primitive areas of the world. Thou-
sands of years ago humans began to gather seeds from wild
Cannabis and grow them in fields alongside the first culti-
vated food crops. Seeds from the best plants were saved for
planting the following season. Cannabis was spread by no-
madic tribes and by trade between cultures until it now ap-
pears in both cultivated and escaped forms in many nations.
The pressures of human and natural selection have resulted
in many distinct strains adapted to unique niches within
the ecosystem. Thus, individual Cannabis strains possess
unique gene pools containing great potential diversity. In
this diversity lies the strength of genetic inheritance. From
diverse gene pools breeders extract the desirable traits in-
corporated into new varieties. Nature also calls on the gene
pool to ensure that a strain will survive. As climate changes
and stronger pests and diseases appear, Cannabis evolves
new adaptations and defenses.
Modern agriculture is already striving to change this
natural system. When Cannabis is legalized, the breeding
and marketing of improved varieties for commercial agri-
culture is certain. Most of the areas suitable for commercial
Cannabis cultivation already harbor their own native strains.
Improved strains with an adaptive edge will follow in the
wake of commercial agriculture and replace rare native
strains in foreign fields. Native strains will hybridize with
introduced strains through wind-borne pollen dispersal and
some genes will be squeezed from the gene pool.
Herein lies extreme danger! Since each strain of Can-
nabis is genetically unique and contains at least a few genes
not found in other strains, if a strain becomes extinct the
unique genes are lost forever. Should genetic weaknesses
arise from excessive inbreeding of commercial strains, new
varieties might not be resistant to a previously unrecog-
nized environmental threat. A disease could spread rapidly
and wipe out entire fields simultaneously. Widespread crop
failure would result in great financial loss to the farmer and
possible extinction of entire strains.
In 1970, to the horror of American farmers and plant
breeders, Southern corn leaf-blight (Helm in thosporium
maydis) spread quickly and unexpectedly throughout corn
crops and caught farmers off guard with no defense.
H. maydis is a fungus which causes minor rot and damage
in corn and had previously had no economic impact. How-
ever, in 1969 a virulent mutant strain of the fungus ap-
peared in Illinois, and by the end of the following season
its wind-borne spores had spread and blighted crops from
the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. Approximately
15% of America's corn crop was destroyed. In some states
over half the crop was lost.
Fortunately the only fields badly infected were those
containing strains descended from parents of what corn
breeders called "the Texas strain." Plants descended from
parents of previously developed strains were only slightly
infected. The discovery and spread of the Texas strain had
revolutionized the corn industry. Since pollen from this
strain is sterile, female plants do not have to be detasseled
by hand or machine, saving farmers millions of dollars
annually. Unknown to corn breeders, hidden in this im-
proved strain was an extreme vulnerability to the mutant
leaf-blight fungus.

Total disaster was avoided by the around-the clock
efforts of plant breeders to develop a commercial strain
from other than Texas plants. It still took three years to
develop and reproduce enough resistant seed to supply all
who needed it. We are also fortunate that corn breeders
could rise to the challenge and had maintained seed re-
serves for breeding. If patented hybrid strains of Cannabis
are produced and gain popularity, the same situation could
arise. Many pathogens are known to infect Cannabis and
any one of them has the potential to reach epidemic pro-
portions in a genetically uniform crop. We can not and
should not stop plant improvement programs and the use
of hybrid strains. However, we should provide a reserve of
genetic material in case it is required in the future. Breeders
can only combat future problems by relying on primitive
gene pools contained in native strains. If native gene pools
have been squeezed out by competition from patented
commercial hybrids than the breeder is helpless. The forces
of mutation and natural selection take thousands of years
to modify gene pools, while a Cannabis blight could spread
like wildfire.

As Cannabis conservationists, we must fight the further
amendment of plant patent laws to include Cannabis, and
initiate programs immediately to collect, catalogue, and
propagate vanishing strains. Cannabis preserves are needed
where each strain can be freely cultivated in areas resemb-
ling native habitats. This will help reduce the selective
pressure of an introduced environment, and preserve the
genetic integrity of each strain. Presently such a program is
far from becoming a reality and rare strains are vanishing
faster than they can be saved. Only a handful of dedicated
researchers, cultivators, and conservationists are concerned
with the genetic fate of Cannabis. It is tragic that a plant
with such promise should be caught up in an age when ex-
tinction at the hands of humans is commonplace. Respon-
sibility is left with the few who will have the sensitivity to
end genocide and the foresight to preserve Cannabis for
future generations.
Marijuana Botany presents the scientific knowledge
and propagation techniques used to preserve and multiply
vanishing Cannabis strains. Also included is information
concerning Cannabis genetics and breeding used to begin
plant improvement programs. It is up to the individual to
use this information thoughtfully and responsibly.

[Milonix420]

Chapter 1 - Sinsemilla Life Cycle of Cannabis

Cannabis is a tall, erect, annual herb.
Provided with an open sunny environment,
light well-drained composted soil, and ample
irrigation, Cannabis can grow to a height of
6 meters (about 20 feet) in a 4-6 month
growing season. Exposed river banks, mead-
ows, and agricultural lands are ideal habi-
tats for Cannabis since all offer good sun-
light. In this example an imported seed
from Thailand is grown without pruning
and becomes a large female plant. A cross
with a cutting from a male plant of Mexi-
can origin results in hybrid seed which is
stored for later planting. This example is
representative of the outdoor growth of
Cannabis in temperate climates.
Seeds are planted in the spring and
usually germinate in 3 to 7 days. The seed-
ling emerges from the ground by the
straightening of the hypocotyl (embryonic
stem). The cotyledons (seed leaves) are
slightly unequal in size, narrowed to the
base and rounded or blunt to the tip.
The hypocotyl ranges from 1 to 10
centimeters (1A to 3 inches) in length. About
10 centimeters or less above the cotyledons,
the first true leaves arise, a pair of oppo-
sitely oriented single leaflets each with a
distinct petiole (leaf stem) rotated one-
quarter turn from the cotyledons. Subse-
quent pairs of leaves arise in opposite
formation and a variously shaped leaf se-
quence develops with the second pair of
leaves having 3 leaflets, the third 5 and so
on up to 11 leaflets. Occasionally the first
pair of leaves will have 3 leaflets each rather
than 1 and the second pair, 5 leaflets each.

If a plant is not crowded, limbs will
grow from small buds (located at the inter-
section of petioles) along the main stem.
Each sinsemilla (seedless drug Cannabis)
plant is provided with plenty of room to
grow long axial limbs and extensive fine
roots to increase floral production. Under
favorable conditions Cannabis grows up to
7 centimeters (21A inches) a day in height
during the long days of summer.
Cannabis shows a dual response to
daylength; during the first two to three
months of growth it responds to increasing
daylength with more vigorous growth, but
in the same season the plant requires shorter
days to flower and complete its life cycle.
LIFE CYCLE OF CANNABIS I Juvenile Stage

Cannabis flowers when exposed to a
critical daylength which varies with the
strain. Critical daylength applies only to
plants which fail to flower under continu-
ous illumination, since those which flower
under continuous illumination have no criti-
cal daylength. Most strains have an absolute
requirement of inductive photoperiods
(short days or long nights) to induce fertile
flowering and less than this will result in
the formation of undifferentiated primor-
dia (unformed flowers) only.
The time taken to form primordia
varies with the length of the inductive pho- -
toperiod. Given 10 hours per day of light a
strain may only take 10 days to flower,
whereas if given 16 hours per day it may
take up to 90 days. Inductive photoperiods
of less than 8 hours per day do not seem to
accelerate primordia formation. Dark
(night) cycles must be uninterrupted to in-
duce flowering (see appendix).
Cannabis is a dioecious plant, which
means that the male and female flowers
develop on separate plants, although mono-
ecious examples with both sexes on one
plant are found. The development of
branches containing flowering organs varies
greatly between males and females: the
male flowers hang in long, loose, multi-
branched, clustered limbs up to 30 centi-
meters (12 inches) long, while the female
flowers are tightly crowded between small
leaves.
Note: Female Cannabis flowers and
plants will be referred to as pistillate and
male flowers and plants will be referred to
as staminate in the remainder of this text.
This convention is more accurate and makes
examples of complex aberrant sexuality
easier to understand.
The first sign of flowering in Cannabis
is the appearance of undifferentiated flower
primordia along the main stem at the nodes
(intersections) of the petiole, behind the
stipule (leaf spur). In the prefloral phase,
the sexes of Cannabis are indistinguishable
except for general trends in shape.

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When the primordia first appear they
are undifferentiated sexually, but soon the
males can be identified by their curved
claw shape, soon followed by the differen-
tiation of round pointed flower buds having
five radial segments. The females are recog-
nized by the enlargement of a symmetrical
tubular calyx (floral sheath). They are easier
to recognize at a young age than male pri-
mordia. The first female calyxes tend to
lack paired pistils (pollen-catching appen-
dages) though initial male flowers often
mature and shed viable pollen. In some in-
dividuals, especially hybrids, small non-
flowering limbs will form at the nodes and
are often confused with male primordia.
Cultivators wait until actual flowers form
to positively determine the sex of Cannabis

The female plants tend to be shorter
and have more branches than the male.
Female plants are leafy to the top with
many leaves surrounding the flowers, while
male plants have fewer leaves near the top
with few if any leaves along the extended
flowering limbs.

*The term pistil has developed a special meaning
with respect to Cannabis which differs slightly
from the precise botanical definition. This has
come about mainly from the large number of culti-
vators who have casual knowledge of plant anatomy
but an intense interest in the reproduction of Can-
nabis. The precise definition of pistil refers to the
combination of ovary, style and stigma. In the
more informal usage, pistil refers to the fused style
and stigma. The informal sense is used throughout
the book since it has become common practice
among Cannabis cultivators.
The female flowers appear as two long
white, yellow, or pink pistils protruding
from the fold of a very thin membranous
calyx. The calyx is covered with resin-
exuding glandular trichomes (hairs). Pistil-
late flowers are borne in pairs at the nodes
one on each side of the petiole behind the
stipule of bracts (reduced leaves) which
conceal the flowers. The calyx measures 2
to 6 millimeters in length and is closely
applied to, and completely contains, the
ovary.
In male flowers, five petals (approxi-
mately 5 millimeters, or 3/16 inch, long)
make up the calyx and may be yellow,
white, or green in color. They hang down,
and five stamens (approximately 5 milli-
meters long) emerge, consisting of slender
anthers (pollen sacs), splitting upwards from
the tip and suspended on thin filaments.
The exterior surface of the staminate calyx
is covered with non-glandular trichomes.
The pollen grains are nearly spherical
slightly yellow, and 25 to 30 microns (p)
in diameter. The surface is smooth and ex-
hibits 2 to 4 germ pores.
Before the start of flowering, the
phyllotaxy (leaf arrangement) reverses and
the number of leaflets per leaf decreases
until a small single leaflet appears below
each pair of calyxes. The phyllotaxy also
changes from decussate (opposite) to alter-
nate (staggered) and usually remains alter-
nate throughout the floral stages regardless
of sexual type.

The differences in flowering patterns
of male and female plants are expressed in
many ways. Soon after dehiscence (pollen
shedding) the staminate plant dies, while
the pistillate plant may mature up to five
months after viable flowers are formed if
little or no fertilization occurs. Compared
with pistillate plants, staminate plants show
a more rapid increase in height and a more
rapid decrease in leaf size to the bracts
which accompany the flowers. Staminate

plants tend to flower up to one month ear-
lier than pistillate plants; however, pistillate
plants often differentiate primordia one to
two weeks before staminate plants.
Many factors contribute to determin-
ing the sexuality of a flowering Cannabis
plant. Under average conditions with a nor-
mal inductive photoperiod, Cannabis will
bloom and produce approximately equal
numbers of pure staminate and pure pistil-
late plants with a few hermaphrodites (both
sexes on the same plant). Under conditions
of extreme stress, such as nutrient excess or
deficiency, mutilation, and altered light
cycles, populations have been shown to de-
part greatly from the expected one-to-one
staminate to pistillate ratio.
Just prior to dehiscence, the pollen
nucleus divides to produce a small repro-
ductive cell accompanied by a large vegeta-
tive cell, both of which are contained
within the mature pollen grain. Germina-
tion occurs 15 to 20 minutes after contact
with a pistil. As the pollen tube grows the
vegetative cell remains in the pollen grain
while the generative cell enters the pollen
tube and migrates toward the ovule. The
generative cell divides into two gametes
(sex cells) as it travels the length of the
pollen tube.
Pollination of the pistillate flower re-
sults in the loss of the paired pistils and a
swelling of the tubular calyx where the
ovule is enlarging. The staminate plants die
after shedding pollen. After approximately
14 to 35 days the seed is matured and drops
from the plant, leaving the dry calyx at-
tached to the stem. This completes the nor-
mally 4 to 6 month life cycle, which may
take as little as 2 months or as long as 10
months. Fresh seeds approach 100% viabil-
ity, but this decreases with age.
The hard mature seed is partially sur-
rounded by the calyx and is variously pat-
terned in grey, brown, or black. Elongated
and slightly compressed, it measures 2 to 6
millimeters (1/16 to 3/16 inch) in length
and 2 to 4 millimeters (1/16 to 1/8 inch) in
maximum diameter
Careful closed pollinations of a few
selected limbs yield hundreds of seeds of
known parentage, which are removed after
they are mature and beginning to fall from
the calyxes. The remaining floral clusters
are sinsemilla or seedless and continue to
mature on the plant. As the unfertilized
calyxes swell, the glandular trichomes on
the surface grow and secrete aromatic THC-
laden resins. The mature, pungent, sticky
floral clusters are harvested, dried, and
sampled. The preceding simplified life cycle
of sinsemilla Cannabis exemplifies the pro-
duction of valuable seeds without compro-
mising the production of seedless floral
clusters.

[Milonix420]

Chapter 2 - Propagation of Cannabis

Make the most of the Indian Hemp Seed and
sow it every where.
-George Washington


Sexual versus Asexual Propagation

Cannabis can be propagated either sexually or asexu-
ally. Seeds are the result of sexual propagation. Because
sexual propagation involves the recombination of genetic
material from two parents we expect to observe variation
among seedlings and offspring with characteristics differing
from those of the parents. Vegetative methods of propaga-
tion (cloning) such as cuttage, layerage, or division of roots
are asexual and allow exact replication of the parental
plant without genetic variation. Asexual propagation, in
theory, allows strains to be preserved unchanged through
many seasons and hundreds of individuals.

When the difference between sexual and asexual prop-
agation is well understood then the proper method can be
chosen for each situation. The unique characteristics of a
plant result from the combination of genes in chromosomes
present in each cell, collectively known as the genotype of
that individual. The expression of a genotype, as influenced
by the environment, creates a set of visible characteristics
that we collectively term the phenotype. The function of
propagation is to preserve special genotypes by choosing
the proper technique to ensure replication of the desired
characteristics.

If two clones from a pistillate Cannabis plant are
placed in differing environments, shade and sun for in-
stance, their genotypes will remain identical. However, the
clone grown in the shade will grow tall and slender and
mature late, while the clone grown in full sun will remain
short and bushy and mature much earlier.

Sexual Propagation

Sexual propagation requires the union of staminate
pollen and pistillate ovule, the formation of viable seed,
and the creation of individuals with newly recombinant
genotypes. Pollen and ovules are formed by reduction divi-
sions (meiosis) in which the 10 chromosome pairs fail to
replicate, so that each of the two daughter-cells contains
one-half of the chromosomes from the mother cell. This is
known as the haploid (in) condition where in = 10 chro-
mosomes. The diploid condition is restored upon fertiliza-
tion resulting in diploid (2n) individuals with a haploid set
of chromosomes from each parent. Offspring may resemble
the staminate, pistillate, both, or neither parent and con-
siderable variation in offspring is to be expected. Traits
may be controlled by a single gene or a combination of
genes, resulting in further potential diversity.
The terms homozygous and heterozygous are useful
in describing the genotype of a particular plant. If the
genes controlling a trait are the same on one chromosome
as those on the opposite member of the chromosome pair
(homologous chromosomes), the plant is homozygous and
will "breed true" for that trait if self-pollinated or crossed
with an individual of identical genotype for that trait. The
traits possessed by the homozygous parent will be trans-
mitted to the offspring, which will resemble each other and
the parent. If the genes on one chromosome differ from
the genes on its homologous chromosome then the plant
is termed heterozygous; the resultant offspring may not
possess the parental traits and will most probably differ
from each other. Imported Cannabis strains usually exhibit
great seedling diversity for most traits and many types will
be discovered.
To minimize variation in seedlings and ensure preser-
vation of desirable parental traits in offspring, certain care-
ful procedures are followed as illustrated in Chapter III.
The actual mechanisms of sexual propagation and seed
production will be thoroughly explained here.

[Milonix420]

The Life Cycle and Sinsemilla Cultivation

A wild Cannabis plant grows from seed to a seedling,
to a prefloral juvenile, to either pollen- or seed-bearing
adult, following the usual pattern of development and
sexual reproduction. Fiber and drug production both inter-
fere with the natural cycle and block the pathways of
inheritance. Fiber crops are usually harvested in the juve-
nile or prefloral stage, before viable seed is produced,
while sinsemilla or seedless marijuana cultivation eliminates
pollination and subsequent seed production. In the case of
cultivated Cannabis crops, special techniques must be used
to produce viable seed for the following year without
jeopardizing the quality of the final product.
Modern fiber or hemp farmers use commercially pro-
duced high fiber content strains of even maturation. Mono-
ecious strains are often used because they mature more
evenly than dioecious strains. The hemp breeder sets up
test plots where phenotypes can be recorded and controlled
crosses can be made. A farmer may leave a portion of his
crop to develop mature seeds which he collects for the fol-
lowing year. If a hybrid variety is grown, the offspring will
not ail resemble the parent crop and desirable character-
istics may be lost.
Growers of seeded marijuana for smoking or hashish
production collect vast quantities of seeds that fall from
the flowers during harvesting, drying, and processing. A
mature pistillate plant can produce tens of thousands of
seeds if freely pollinated. Sinsemilla marijuana is grown by
removing all the staminate plants from a patch, eliminating
every pollen source, and allowing the pistillate plants to
produce massive clusters of unfertilized flowers.

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Various theories have arisen to explain the unusually
potent psychoactive properties of unfertilized Cannabis.
In general these theories have as their central theme the
extraordinarily long, frustrated struggle of the pistillate
plant to reproduce, and many theories are both twisted and
romantic. What actually happens when a pistillate plant
remains unfertilized for its entire life and how this ulti-
mately affects the cannabinoid (class of molecules found
only in Cannabis) and terpene (a class of aromatic organic
compounds) levels remains a mystery. It is assumed, how-
ever, that seeding cuts the life of the plant short and THC
(tetrahydrocannabinol the major psychoactive compound
in Cannabis) does not have enough time to accumulate.
Hormonal changes associated with seeding definitely affect
all metabolic processes within the plant including canna-
binoid biosynthesis. The exact nature of these changes is
unknown but probably involves imbalance in the enzymatic
systems controlling cannabinoid production. Upon fertili-
zation the plant's energies are channeled into seed produc-
tion instead of increased resin production. Sinsemilla plants
continue to produce new floral clusters until late fail, while
seeded plants cease floral production. It is also suspected
that capitate-stalked trichome production might cease
when the calyx is fertilized. If this is the case, then sinse-
milla may be higher in THC because of uninterrupted floral
growth, trichome formation and cannabinoid production.
What is important with respect to propagation is that once
again the farmer has interfered with the life cycle and no
naturally fertilized seeds have been produced.
The careful propagator, however, can produce as
many seeds of pure types as needed for future research
without risk of pollinating the precious crop. Staminate
parents exhibiting favorable characteristics are reproduc-
tively isolated while pollen is carefully collected and
applied to only selected flowers of the pistillate parents.
Many cultivators overlook the staminate plant, con-
sidering it useless if not detrimental. But the staminate
plant contributes half of the genotype expressed in the
offspring. Not only are staminate plants preserved for
breeding, but they must be allowed to mature, uninhibited,
until their phenotypes can be determined and the most
favorable individuals selected. Pollen may also be stored
for short periods of time for later breeding.

[Milonix420]

Biology of Pollination

Pollination is the event of pollen landing on a stig-
matic surface such as the pistil, and fertilization is the
union of the staminate chromosomes from the pollen with
the pistillate chromosomes from the ovule.
Pollination begins with dehiscence (release of pollen)
from staminate flowers. Millions of pollen grains float
through the air on light breezes, and many land on the
stigmatic surfaces of nearby pistillate plants. If the pistil is
ripe, the pollen grain will germinate and send out a long
pollen tube much as a seed pushes out a root. The tube
contains a haploid (in) generative nucleus and grows
downward toward the ovule at the base of the pistils.
When the pollen tube reaches the ovule, the staminate
haploid nucleus fuses with the pistillate haploid nucleus
and the diploid condition is restored. Germination of the
pollen grain occurs 15 to 20 minutes after contact with
the stigmatic surface (pistil); fertilization may take up to
two days in cooler temperatures. Soon after fertilization,
the pistils wither away as the ovule and surrounding calyx
begin to swell. If the plant is properly watered, seed will
form and sexual reproduction is complete. It is crucial that
no part of the cycle be interrupted or viable seed will not
form. If the pollen is subjected to extremes of tempera-
ture, humidity, or moisture, it will fail to germinate, the
pollen tube will die prior to fertilization, or the embryo
will be unable to develop into a mature seed. Techniques
for successful pollination have been designed with all these
criteria in mind.