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Autoflowering cultivars make growing weed easier; feminized strains erase the need to identify plant sex; F1 hybrids offer growers unparalleled uniformity. Are polyploids the next frontier in weed industry innovation? These plants grow bigger and produce larger flowers with more trichomes. Find out all you need to know about polyploids here.
Most cannabis varieties are made up of cells that contain two sets of chromosomes—two from each parent. However, pioneering breeders have created varieties that contain three or even four sets. Why does this matter? Because these plants produce bigger buds, more cannabinoids and terpenes, and larger overall yields. Discover everything you need to know about polyploid weed and how it could steer the future of the industry.
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Much like us humans, most cannabis plants are diploid organisms—they contain two sets of chromosomes in each cell (“di” means “two”). In case you don’t remember much from biology class, chromosomes are small structures built from nucleic acids found in the nucleus of the cell. They store genetic information and enable the copying of DNA during cell division, also known as mitosis.
Each parent plant passes down 10 chromosomes to the offspring, meaning diploid cannabis plant cells possess a total of 20 chromosomes. Researchers believe that diploidy offers organisms somewhat of a survival advantage[1]. Not only does having two sets of chromosomes mean cells have a software backup if one chromosome gets damaged, but it allows healthy genes to override those with detrimental mutations.
Diploidy also offers other benefits. The presence of two sets of chromosomes allows plants to adapt better to their surroundings over time. Inherited sets of genes from both parents also equip plants with genetic variability, increasing the odds of inherited pest and disease resistance and other desirable traits.
The vast majority of cannabis cultivars are diploid in nature. Only a very small percentage of naturally occurring cannabis plants emerge with more than two sets of chromosomes. However, cannabis breeders have developed methods to create plants with three or even four sets of chromosomes. Known as polyploidy, this trait comes with some superb advantages, as well as some downsides.
Polyploidy occurs in almost all flowering plants[2] to varying degrees. Many of the agricultural crops that have become staples in the human diet are polyploids, including strawberries, coffee, potato, and oats. Cannabis breeders have figured out ways to increase the number of chromosome sets within cannabis cells, using both chemical intervention and crossbreeding between diploid and polyploid varieties.
Polyploid cannabis varieties differ from their diploid counterparts in several ways, including:
In case you haven’t noticed, the cannabis market has exploded over the past decade. As legalization continues to blossom, research and development efforts are ramping up. Companies are pouring considerable time, effort, and money into creating cannabis plants/products that increase profits and better satisfy customer demands. So far, breeders have created cultivars with higher levels of THC, bigger buds, higher yields, and more flavor.
Now, researchers are honing in on the concept of polyploidy to improve cannabis as an agricultural crop. Through chemical treatments and crossbreeding, the following types of cannabis polyploids have arisen:
Polyploid cannabis plants offer a host of benefits, and they may help growers overcome the fertilisation issue when it comes to cultivating cannabis on a large scale. You see, as a dioecious plant, cannabis emerges from seed as either a distinct male or female specimen. The females produce resinous flowers high in cannabinoids and terpenes (if left unfertilised), whereas the male flowers produce pollen.
Overall, male plants are relatively worthless when it comes to crop production. Not only that, but they decrease the quality of female flowers upon fertilisation, turning them from sweet sinsemilla into seedy and less potent buds.
The current industry[7] standard for dealing with this issue involves genetic testing before transplanting. As you can imagine, this quickly becomes costly and time-consuming. However, both feminized seeds and cloning offer an alternative solution. Polyploid cannabis could become another option for commercial and small-scale growers looking to produce seedless weed.
Triploid cannabis varieties are practically infertile and rarely produce seeds, regardless of whether they are surrounded by pollen-producing males. Their odd sets of chromosomes impair the cellular processes that lead to seed development.
Triploid plants are not exclusive to the world of cannabis breeding. Horticulturalists have developed triploid varieties across a host of different species to reap their benefits. For example, seedless fruit, such as watermelons and bananas, are triploid. Because they can’t produce seeds, they’re more convenient to consume and therefore more appealing to consumers.
Much like other triploid crops, cannabis strains that possess three sets of chromosomes also offer key benefits. They create more biomass in terms of leaves and stems, which makes them more valuable in some commercial settings. Larger flowers also make them extremely appealing to growers, as well as customers seeking big buds in dispensaries and other retail outlets.
Triploid plants do occur naturally, but they are extremely rare. In order to create them, breeders need to first create tetraploid weed cultivars (we’ll discuss this process below). Once they secure tetraploid genetics, breeders then need to select suitable diploid specimens with desirable traits. Crossing a carefully selected tetraploid parent with a diploid parent will create triploid offspring.
Now you’re aware of how triploid and diploid plants differ genetically, but how exactly are these differences expressed? The key differences exhibited by triploid plants include:
Triploid cannabis opens up a whole new field of play for breeders. Just like the advent of autoflowering and feminized genetics, a rise in triploid plants could change the cannabis industry in many ways. Contemporary research has found that these varieties certainly show promise. However, this innovation is still in the early stages, and triploid weed plants also have some downsides that could affect their adoption among breeders and growers, both commercial and amateur.
Technically, yes. A breeder could cross diploid and triploid parent strains. However, the results probably wouldn’t be worth the effort, as their unequal amount of chromosome sets can disrupt the normal reproductive process. On top of that, triploids are almost always sterile, meaning there’s only a very tiny chance that they’ll go to seed to produce offspring.
Triploid cannabis plants certainly boast some impressive benefits. They offer a seedless crop, bigger yields, large buds, and more cannabinoids. However, these cultivars largely remain confined to research laboratories for the time being. Plus, they also have some downsides. Their incredibly low fertility means that growers will have to indefinitely maintain a line of clones in order to maintain a progeny that they like. Inevitably, this demands resources such as space, lighting, and nutrients.
On top of this, triploid varieties are hard to create. They require knowledge of plant genetics and the ability to create tetraploid strains as parent stock. Realistically, the vast majority of small-scale growers lack the resources and knowledge to make their own triploid genetics.
Tetraploid cannabis plants are similar to triploids in the sense that they are also polyploids. However, instead of three sets of chromosomes, each cell possesses four—two sets from each parent. These varieties are somewhat easier to create than triploid ones; you can view them as a botanical precursor.
Plant scientists create tetraploid plants through chemical intervention. There are several molecules that, when applied to a weed plant, cause cells to multiply their chromosomes. These compounds include colchicine[10], a naturally occurring chemical found in fall crocus that interferes with cell division. Researchers also use oryzalin, a less toxic alternative, to achieve the same result.
Tetraploid cannabis varieties also possess unique traits that make them attractive to breeders and growers. These qualities include:
Considering the impressive traits mentioned above, tetraploid cannabis clearly has a lot of potential. But again, you’ll be hard-pressed to get your hands on any tetraploid varieties for now. However, we could see them arrive on the market in the near future. Breeders are likely to use this technology to create strains that are more productive, resinous, flavorful, and potent. Chances are, we’ll also see tetraploid versions of some of the most well-known cannabis strains emerge at some point.
Yes! In fact, this is exactly how breeders create triploid plants. Crossing a diploid with a tetraploid results in a progeny with three sets of chromosomes. Although tetraploid plants exhibit decreased female fertility compared to diploids, they are still able to reproduce (they just create fewer seeds).
Much like triploid genetics, tetraploid plants display some seriously impressive traits, and they’re relatively easy to create using chemical manipulation. However, they also have a few disadvantages. First, their low fertility makes successful crosses hard to accomplish. They also appear to have a slower rate of growth compared to diploid varieties, making them less appealing to growers that value speed. Finally, for now, they remain confined to a niche area of breeding, and a lack of understanding surrounding tetraploids will make them tough to work with for most amateurs.
Although just a single species of plant, a gigantic industry revolves around cannabis. What started as a wild plant has, with the help of human innovation, become a diverse domesticated plant that takes on many different forms. Breeding breakthroughs have ushered in the likes of autoflowering and feminized strains, as well as the first true F1 hybrids.
Now, it looks like polyploids are next in line to shake up the industry. That’s right—cannabis breeding has reached the point of multiplying the amount of chromosomes in plant cells! Both triploid and tetraploid cannabis present some promising advantages, including bigger buds, more THC, and more terpenes. Research remains in the early stages, but you can expect to hear much more about polyploid cannabis in the coming years!