Year: 2025
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is a dioecious, wind-pollinated crop grown for fibre, grain, or cannabinoid-rich flowers. Since cannabinoids are concentrated in female flowers, growers cultivate all-female crops, which are vulnerable to seed set if pollinated. To address this challenge, we developed polyploidization techniques to create tetraploid (4n) hemp plants. These tetraploids will be crossed with diploid (2n) pollen donors to produce sterile, triploid (3n) hemp plants. Tetraploids were created by treating pre-germinated seeds with the mitotic spindle inhibitor oryzalin (10-150 μM) for 12-48 hours. Success varied by cultivar, resulting in three cannabidiol-dominant and two cannabigerol-dominant stable tetraploid plants. Cannabidiol-dominant tetraploid seed was produced and the F1 generation was compared to diploid controls, showing increased stomatal size and reduced stomatal density. Further research is needed to confirm other ploidy-related traits. This work brings us closer to developing sterile triploid lines that combine high cannabinoid yield with reduced risks of cross-pollination.
Author: Laura Margaret Kelly
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: green
Funder: Mitacs
OpenAlex ID: W7124827409
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