Hi everyone,
I've been doing some research into potential ways to increase the volatile organic compound production in cannabis. It seems that the two main pathways involved in cannabinoid synthesis, and terpenoids are the olivetolic acid pathway and mevalonic acid pathway. The substrate for the olivetolic acid pathway is hexanoyl COA, which is biosynthesized by Cannabis species likely by the oxidation and cleavage of larger fatty acids. It has been demonstrated that the application of heaxnoate to the roots of citrus species significantly increases the production of volatile organic compounds via an inductive signaling pathway. Likewise, hexanoate has been shown to stimulate the mevalonate pathway in cannabis, as well as being a substrate for the olivetolic acid pathway.
As a first step, I decided to qualitatively give this a shot. To start I took 100g or plain uncooked white rice and stirred it with 500ml of water until it was cloudy. Next the cloudy rice was water was decanted from the grains and placed into a clean container with the lid cracked. 48hr hours later a drop of the solution was viewed under a microscope with the 40x objective, confirming the presence of bacillus shaped bacteria, and no indication of filamentatious fungi. The next day a probiotic capsule was added to the mixture (containing many species of lactic acid bacteria). The choice for lactobacillus was two fold: 1. they produce quite a few small and medium sized fatty acids, like hexanoate. 2. they are symbotic with many plant species and non pathogenic. The next day 100ml of this solution was added to 900ml of whole pasteurized goat milk. Goat milk contains higher amounts of hexanoate containing lipids compared to cows milk, and milk is an ideal media for lactic acid bacteria.
The solution was placed in a bleach washed 1L flask along with a stir bar. The solution was covered with foil and placed on a heated stir plate at 35C for 2 days. At this time, the solution was checked for pH which registered at 3.6, indicating copious bacterial growth and acid production. Normally as milk acidifies, the curd separates as large chunks. However, the stirring kept the solution opaque. My hope was as the lactose ran out in the milk, the bacteria would start to consume more of the milk lipids and hopefully produce more hexanoate. At this point the solution was checked under the microscope. A drop of the culture was stained with methylene blue and observed with a 40x objective. The solution was absolutely teeming with bacteria, and it was then used to treat my flowering plants.
To do this, 10ml of the culture was added to a clean sprayer containing dechlorinated tap water adjusted to pH 6.4. 10ml in one gallon equates to about 10-20ppm. Although this on the extremely low side, especially if were are wanting hexanoate. I wanted to be sure it wouldnt hurt my plants. This solution was spray on all the plant in flower (about week 4 or 5), and the soil in each pot right before lights out, and 30 minutes after lights out.
Depending on how the plants respond, I will increase the culture concentration and take notes. If I like the results, I will repeat the experiment (ideally) with controls.
References:
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
www.frontiersin.org
Stay tuned!
I've been doing some research into potential ways to increase the volatile organic compound production in cannabis. It seems that the two main pathways involved in cannabinoid synthesis, and terpenoids are the olivetolic acid pathway and mevalonic acid pathway. The substrate for the olivetolic acid pathway is hexanoyl COA, which is biosynthesized by Cannabis species likely by the oxidation and cleavage of larger fatty acids. It has been demonstrated that the application of heaxnoate to the roots of citrus species significantly increases the production of volatile organic compounds via an inductive signaling pathway. Likewise, hexanoate has been shown to stimulate the mevalonate pathway in cannabis, as well as being a substrate for the olivetolic acid pathway.
As a first step, I decided to qualitatively give this a shot. To start I took 100g or plain uncooked white rice and stirred it with 500ml of water until it was cloudy. Next the cloudy rice was water was decanted from the grains and placed into a clean container with the lid cracked. 48hr hours later a drop of the solution was viewed under a microscope with the 40x objective, confirming the presence of bacillus shaped bacteria, and no indication of filamentatious fungi. The next day a probiotic capsule was added to the mixture (containing many species of lactic acid bacteria). The choice for lactobacillus was two fold: 1. they produce quite a few small and medium sized fatty acids, like hexanoate. 2. they are symbotic with many plant species and non pathogenic. The next day 100ml of this solution was added to 900ml of whole pasteurized goat milk. Goat milk contains higher amounts of hexanoate containing lipids compared to cows milk, and milk is an ideal media for lactic acid bacteria.
The solution was placed in a bleach washed 1L flask along with a stir bar. The solution was covered with foil and placed on a heated stir plate at 35C for 2 days. At this time, the solution was checked for pH which registered at 3.6, indicating copious bacterial growth and acid production. Normally as milk acidifies, the curd separates as large chunks. However, the stirring kept the solution opaque. My hope was as the lactose ran out in the milk, the bacteria would start to consume more of the milk lipids and hopefully produce more hexanoate. At this point the solution was checked under the microscope. A drop of the culture was stained with methylene blue and observed with a 40x objective. The solution was absolutely teeming with bacteria, and it was then used to treat my flowering plants.
To do this, 10ml of the culture was added to a clean sprayer containing dechlorinated tap water adjusted to pH 6.4. 10ml in one gallon equates to about 10-20ppm. Although this on the extremely low side, especially if were are wanting hexanoate. I wanted to be sure it wouldnt hurt my plants. This solution was spray on all the plant in flower (about week 4 or 5), and the soil in each pot right before lights out, and 30 minutes after lights out.
Depending on how the plants respond, I will increase the culture concentration and take notes. If I like the results, I will repeat the experiment (ideally) with controls.
References:
The hexanoyl-CoA precursor for cannabinoid biosynthesis is formed by an acyl-activating enzyme in Cannabis sativa trichomes - PubMed
The psychoactive and analgesic cannabinoids (e.g. Δ(9) -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)) in Cannabis sativa are formed from the short-chain fatty acyl-coenzyme A (CoA) precursor hexanoyl-CoA. Cannabinoids are synthesized in glandular trichomes present mainly on female flowers. We quantified...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Priming by Hexanoic Acid Induce Activation of Mevalonic and Linolenic Pathways and Promotes the Emission of Plant Volatiles
Hexanoic acid (Hx) is a short natural monocarboxylic acid present in some fruits and plants. Previous studies reported that soil drench application of this acid induces effective resistance in tomato plants against Botrytis cinerea and Pseudomonas syringae and in citrus against Alternaria...
Stay tuned!
