Controlled Environment Production of Medicinal Cannabis.

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The history of marijuana in both medical and recreational applications is long and varied. Although both large and small-scale production facilities are fully operational and many more are in the planning and construction phases, there remains significant gaps in the scientific knowledge of horticultural management of the plethora of cultivars in areas such as optimal environment control, lighting, irrigation and nutrition management, and the effect that these variables have on the content and consistency of various compounds (THC, CBD, terpenes) relevant to the medicinal properties of the plant. Our relationship has recently trained three graduate students (Jonathan Stemeroff (MSc), who successfully defended his thesis related to irrigation management of cannabis (November 20th, 2018), along with Deron Caplan (PhD), 'Propagation and root zone management for controlled environment cannabis production' (August 30th, 2018) and David Hawley (PhD) 'The influence of spectral quality of light on plant secondary metabolism and photosynthetic acclimation to light quality' (September 10th, 2018). The proposed project herein will significantly enhance an established research program between the Controlled Environment Systems Research Facility (CESRF) at the University of Guelph (UoG) and VIVO Cannabis Ltd. (formerly ABcann Medicinals). The unique state-of-the-art infrastructure at the CESRF has been exploited in a variety of national and international research initiatives in space science and terrestrial food production technology, and most recently has populated a purpose-built research laboratory (56m2) at our industry partners cannabis production facility (Napanee, ON) with five of its state-of-the-art precision controlled BlueBox whole plant photosynthesis plant growth chambers (Stasiak et al, 2016). The overall objective of the proposed project is to assess various physiological responses of cannabis to light quality and intensity throughout the different growth stages in order to understand and improve plant growth, consistency and economic productivity.