Genotyping and breeding new hemp varieties

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Cannabis sativa is one of the oldest cultivated plants by humankind. Arguably, it is also one of the most versatile plants that are able to provide us with high-quality food, feed, medicine, clothing and shelter. At the same time, due to years of restriction, hemp is severely understudied at all levels including genetic and phenotypic variations. As a result, genetics-assisted breeding of new cultivars is significantly hampered. We are partnering with Terramax Corporation, one of the largest hemp seed producers in Canada, to study variations in genomics and phenomics of various hemp cultivars and to develop efficient genotyping and epigenotyping techniques as well as genetics- and epigenetics-assisted breeding approaches. We aim to initiate breeding several hemp varieties with improved traits, such as seed yield, biomass, the oil and protein content, pathogen and drought tolerance among others. The project has several important intellectual, economic, social, educational and environmental benefits. It will contribute to the development and promotion of one of the most sustainable agricultural and health products associated with Cannabis, including food (oil, proteins, fiber), structural materials (fibers), medicines (oils infused with alkaloids) and many other products.