Regulation of secondary metabolism in Cannabis sativa L. by abscisic acid and water deficit during early flower development and after recovery
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Female cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) flowers produce medicinally important secondary metabolites in the form of cannabinoids and terpenes. Cannabis has been demonstrated to be moderately drought tolerant; it can recover from short-term drought experienced in late flowering without lasting negative impact and this treatment can increase cannabinoid content. In this study, we tested short-term drought stress (i.e. water deficit (WD)) and abscisic acid (ABA) treatments during early flowering followed by a prolonged recovery period until harvest time (floral maturity). Floral cannabinoid and terpene contents were quantified during treatment and at post-recovery harvest. Plant morphology was measured at harvest. Results showed that cannabinoids decreased while sesquiterpenes increased during early flowering WD, whereas ABA treatment only caused cannabinoids to decrease. At harvest, cannabinoid content was no longer negatively affected in recovered WD and ABA treated plants, with cannabigerolic acid (CBGA) higher in both treatments than in controls. Monoterpene content increased in the WD plants at harvest. These results showed that cannabis secondary metabolic drought response is developmentally dependent because the findings differed from those observed in the same experimental system during late-flowering drought treatments. By comparing drought and ABA treatments we observed that terpene metabolism during drought is controlled by ABA-independent regulation pathway. Finally, results from post-drought recovery confirmed the drought resilience of cannabis as there was no loss in biomass, while secondary metabolic content was elevated, possibly due to accelerated senescence.
Source: Plant Stress
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,310
OpenAlex ID: W4414919589