Geno-hunting: creating super parents for cannabis-R1

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Cannabis sativa L. has a long history of human use for a variety of applications including fibre, food, medicine, and for its psychoactive properties. Despite its economic, medicinal, and societal importance, there is a lack of rigorous research due to the long history of prohibition. Scarcity of empirically based best practices and optimized protocols for almost all aspects of the cannabis industry ranging from breeding and genetics, cultivation, processing, and postharvest is undeniable. Stabilized cultivars derived from the inbreeding process represent a unique opportunity for cannabis growers to not only produce uniform products but also explore new combinations of cannabis genetics to develop disease resistance, new flavours and aromas, alter cannabinoid levels, and boost total yields. Here, we aim to 1) characterize genetic basis of key traits in cannabis to open the door for "allele mining" and genomics-assisted breeding, and 2) rapidly translate research into tangible benefits through the adoption of newly developed genomics tools in breeding programs for development of inbred lines and pure seeds in cannabis. This will contribute to ensuring Canada remains at the forefront of cannabis research and move toward a long-term goal of transitioning from clonal propagation and cultivation strategies to a seed-based system.