The medical potential of cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) is based on its complex chemical profile, comprising hundreds of secondary metabolites including cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids. Environmental and cultivation conditions affect plant function and biosynthesis of the secondary metabolites in cannabis. Understanding regulation of plant response to environmental conditions is key for development of optimal chemical profile for modern cultivation. Little science-based knowledge is available regarding regulation and responses of 'drug-type' cannabis plants to cultivation practices. Such information is essential for the optimization of agri-high-tech cultivation for production of high-quality standardized material, as well as for development of plant products containing specific desirable phytochemical profiles.
In this ground-breaking session, Professor Nirit Bernstein will share her team’s recent discoveries concerning the potential of physical and chemical effectors imposed during cultivation to regulate plant development and the profile of active secondary metabolites in ‘drug-type’ cannabis. She has recently uncovered an interaction between plant structure, function, and chemistry in cannabis, and demonstrated a longitudinal variability in secondary metabolites. Mineral nutrition has a large effect on secondary metabolism in cannabis. Under controlled conditions, she demonstrated induction of changes in the cannabinoid and terpene profiles by nutritional supplements. For the key macronutrients, N, K and P, required supply for optimal yield quantity is higher from the levels needed for optimizing yield chemical quality; while a similar supply of Mg supply is required for best yield quality and quantity. Findings from Prof. Bernstein’s lab also characterized effects of plant architecture manipulation (pruning and leaf removal practices), planting density, and light quality on yield quantity and secondary metabolite production in cannabis.
