By Max Sargent


Key points:

  • Endophytes live in all parts of the cannabis plant’s anatomy.
  • They form symbiotic, mutually beneficial relationships.
  • Endophytes can improve the final yield of your cannabis crop.
  • Organic farming methods promote endophyte growth.

Plants don’t just host an abundance of life on their surfaces, but within their bodies as well. Most of us are aware that animals have some kind of gut biome, but it’s not such common knowledge that plants have equivalent inner ecosystems too.

Here we’re investigating cannabis endophytes—the microorganisms that live inside cannabis plants.

A diagram of a marijuana plant surrounded by three circles showing endophyte benefits: they live inside plants, inhabit all plant parts, and boost cannabis yield. A magnifying glass highlights endophytes inside the plant

An Introduction to the Holobiont Paradigm

For most of the period where “modern science” has reigned (and possibly preceding this), living organisms have been considered as distinct individuals. A person is a person, a bacterium is a bacterium, a plant is a plant, and so on. However, the holobiont paradigm challenges this notion. In relation to plants, it attempts to redefine them as interconnected communities of organisms, made up of the organisms that live on and within them, as well as those that live in the soil, with which they have a symbiotic relationship.

Ultimately, this paradigm views plants as part of a larger system that includes their associated microbiome.

  • The Microbiome and Plant Health

The microbiome of plants, and most larger organisms, includes bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other microorganisms. While most of us have been brought up to consider microorganisms as dirty pathogens, this is not the case. In fact, a diverse microbiome correlates with healthier, more resilient plants. Microbes help regulate nutrient cycles, defend against pathogens, and optimise environmental interactions.

Take soil for example. If soil is sterile, then there is nothing to stop an invasion of pathogens if one appears. If, on the other hand, there is a thriving soil biome, then it should hold itself in a state of equilibrium, meaning that though pathogens may be present, they cannot multiply unchecked.

What Are Cannabis Endophytes?

Endophytes are microorganisms that reside within plant tissues, either in a symbiotic, neutral, or occasionally parasitic relationship. They are organisms that can be considered distinct from the plant itself, but which nevertheless live within it and are dependent upon it.

Found in all plant species, endophytes are a key part of a plant’s internal ecosystem. Endophytes include all manner of species, and they form partnerships with plants in order to exchange nutrients and biochemical signals, often in a mutually beneficial way.

And a little bit of etymology: “endo” means “within” and “phyte” refers to the plant. So endophyte means something like “within the plant”.

  • How Do Endophytes Get Inside Cannabis Plants?

Depending on the species, endophytes have many methods of finding their way inside cannabis plants. This means that they are present throughout all stages of a plant’s life.

Key transmission methods include:

  • Vertical transmission: Some endophytes are passed from parent plants via seeds and pollen. This ensures new generations inherit beneficial microbes.
  • Root colonisation: Endophytes also enter through the root system, interacting with soil and the rhizosphere.
  • Aerial parts: Microbes can enter through leaves, stems, and flowers via microscopic openings.

A Look at Endophytes Found in Cannabis Plants

Cannabis plants play host to diverse endophytes in various tissues across their anatomy. Let’s take a look at where different endophytes reside, and which species might be found where.

  • Buds

The buds are host to a range of different microorganisms—some of them beneficial. Microbial communities in buds may influence the plant’s chemical profile, including terpenes and cannabinoids. Species include:

Pantoea sp. Bacillus licheniformis Bacillus sp. Penicillium copticola
  • Trichomes

Zooming in even more, not only do endophytes live within the buds of cannabis plants, but even with the trichomes growing on the buds. Nitrogen-fixing endophytes found in trichome cells are thought to contribute to nutrient cycles and may impact cannabinoid production.

  • Seeds

Seeds act as carriers of endophytes and are a key mode of transmission to later generations. Species present in cannabis seeds include:

Brevibacterium sp. Aureobasidium sp. Cladosparium sp.
  • Leaves

It’s possible that some of the endophytes found in leaves may enhance photosynthesis efficiency and may also help combat foliar diseases. Cannabis leaf endophytes include:

Pseudomonas sp. Cochliobolus sp. Alternaria sp.
  • Petioles

Petioles are the small stalks that connect leaves to their branches. Microbes in petioles are thought to facilitate nutrient transport between leaves and stems, which is essential to plant vitality. Species living in the petiole biome include:

Acinetobacter sp. Agrobacterium sp. Enterococcus sp.
  • Stems

Stems contain endophytes that help to strengthen their structural integrity and also provide some protection against a range of pathogens. Stem endophytes include:

Alternaria sp. Schizophyllum sp. Aspergillus flavus
  • Roots

The fact that roots have symbiotic relationships with microorganisms is better understood and more well-researched than many other aspects of the cannabis plant. Root-associated endophytes play a crucial role in the rhizophagy cycle, where plants extract nutrients from microbes in exchange for sugars produced by the plant. Root endophytes include:

Proteobacteria Chryseobacterium Pseudomonas sp.

How Endophytes Benefit Weed Plants

There are many ways that endophytes can benefit weed plants, and working in tandem these can lead to healthier, more potent, and higher-yielding plants. So it’s worth knowing about!

  • Plant Growth

Certain endophytes can encourage the production of plant growth hormones like auxins and cytokinins. This leads to root elongation and branching, which in turn improves nutrient absorption, leading to overall better growth.

  • Nutrient Uptake

Nutrient uptake is improved by endophytes that live in the roots, as previously mentioned. The microorganisms provide accessible forms of essential nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, to the plants, enhancing nutrient absorption. They also work symbiotically with the plant to recycle nutrients in the soil.

  • Disease Resistance

As mentioned, the presence of a diverse ecosystem creates a competitive environment, meaning that harmful pathogens struggle to reproduce in a way that would be detrimental to plant health. This reduces the risk of disease and infection. What’s more, some even produce antimicrobial compounds that protect the plant internally.

  • Secondary Metabolite Modulation

By influencing the biosynthesis of cannabinoids and terpenes, endophytes are able to affect a plant’s aroma, flavour, and potency. We’re a ways off understanding how to harness this in such a manner that we can deliberately modulate the flavour and effects of our crop, but even knowing it might be possible is exciting.

  • Better Yields

Once everything is taken into consideration, we have healthier, better-fed, and faster-growing plants. All of this ultimately leads to high yields of quality bud, which is what most of us are looking for.

A diagram of a marijuana plant surrounded by four circles showing endophyte benefits: faster growth, better nutrient uptake, disease resistance, and increased medicinal compound production.

How to Harness the Power of Endophytes When Growing Weed

So, given the potential of endophytes to improve both the growing experience and the final product, you might want to know how to boost their presence in your crop. Chiefly, allowing nature to take its course is best—but strangely, that can be difficult sometimes. Here are some key tips to consider.

  • Don’t Sterilise Your Seeds

First off, don’t sterilise your cannabis seeds. This will kill the beneficial microbes living on them and will mean that the initial vertical transmission is blocked. Preserving natural transmission from mother to seedling is an easy way to give your plants their initial endophyte dose.

  • Use Regenerative Practices

Regenerative farming practices cause an explosion of life within the local ecosystem, and this will inevitably lead to the presence of endophytes. Regenerative practices include no-till farming, mulching, and composting.

Cover crops also encourage soil health and provide a habitat for beneficial microbes, and can therefore help your cannabis plants.

  • Apply Endophytes Directly

You can also apply endophytes directly for quicker results. This can be helpful if you’re growing indoors, where you can produce the sort of natural environment most conducive to endophyte growth. Use microbial inoculants like lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and algae to introduce beneficial microbes directly to plants.

The Future of Endophytes in Cannabis Cultivation

Research into cannabis endophytes is still in its early stages, but the potential is enormous. And this isn’t just true for cannabis cultivation, but for all plant cultivation. Not only might we be smoking better weed in the future thanks to endophytes, but we may well be eating healthier food too!

But regarding cannabis, we may well be able to map certain microbiomes to certain strains so that we can bring the best out of certain genotypes, further enhancing their qualities. Or, we might be able to produce endophyte-based organic treatments for a range of pests and diseases in order to maintain healthy crops without causing undue damage to the environment. With enough will, the possibilities are vast.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: