Content of cannabinoids in clonally propagated industrial hemp

Abstract

Cannabis sativa L. is an extremely variable species. Even within the same cultivar plants can significantly differ in the content and profile of cannabinoids. Therefore, the best method for production of uniform plants and standardized raw material is vegetative propagation using clones. The aim of this study was to determine the content of cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), cannabidiol (CBD), Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (Δ9-THCA), Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), cannabichromene (CBC), cannabigerol (CBG), and cannabinol (CBN) in clonally propagated plants of industrial hemp. One hundred and thirty-nine plants representing 17 different hemp genotypes were regenerated in vitro, hardened, and grown in a vegetation hall until harvest. Single plants of each accession were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography with UV/diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD/UV). The results revealed significant variability in the total cannabinoid content (0.55–5.18% in dry weight) among tested genotypes and within the Epsilon 68 cultivar. The highest content of total CBD (4.410%) was recorded for EPS/40 genotype, while the level of total Δ9-THC was below the allowed threshold (0.3%). Therefore, we can conclude that some clonally propagated plants provided reproducible hemp material as a potential source of cannabidiol. The results of this study will be useful for breeding and early selection of hemp genotypes.

Keywords

• cannabis sativa l. in vitro cultures
• genotype
• cbd
• δ9-thc
• δ9-thc
• variability