Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
School of Plant, Environmental, and Soil Sciences
Document Type
Dissertation
Abstract
The development of comprehensive phenomes is essential for optimizing high-throughput and multi-targeted breeding efforts. This research characterizes eight accessions of Cannabis sativa of unidentified types and maps their accumulation of 15 cannabinoids throughout the reproductive growth stage. Utilizing multidisciplinary phenotyping and the development of high throughput protocols, 76 morphological and anatomical metrics were quantified from seed to senescence for contribution to the open-access GRIN-Global breeding network. Additionally, accumulation of 15 cannabinoids were mapped throughout the reproductive growth stage using high pressure liquid chromatography at days 18, 36, 54, and 72. Cannabinoid development timelines were established for each accession to assist breeders in incorporating type-specific accessions into breeding programs. Microphotographs of cannabinoid-producing organs were taken at each sampling date and compared to industry-standard visual indicators to determine peak cannabinoid concentrations. Contradictory to the industry standard visual indicators of maturation, cannabinoid levels peaked up to 25% earlier in the reproductive growth stage than the industry standard methodology would have otherwise indicated. From this information, new visual indicators of maturation, specific to each accession, were explored. The adoption of the new methodology for determining maturation has the potential to shorten the reproductive time by 25% for cannabinoid-producing cultivars, leading to significant reductions in operational costs and increasing production output. The continuation of phenome development in Cannabis will allow breeders to more efficiently select accessions possessing traits of interest to integrate into breeding programs and can reduce costs associated with initial screening and selection efforts.
Date
4-3-2025
Recommended Citation
des Bordes, Samuel, "Phenomic Evaluation of Cannabis Sativa Accessions Cultivated in a Controlled Environment" (2025). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 6755.
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/6755
Committee Chair
Kirk-Ballard, Heather
Included in
Agriculture Commons, Horticulture Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Breeding and Genetics Commons