Cryopreservation and polyploid breeding strategies for Cannabis sativa

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Cannabis has become one of the most economically important crops in Canada and it contributed billions of dollars to the GDP each year. Despite this, the long history of prohibition has resulted in a general lack of modern research and in comparison to other crops, there is a deficit in our basic understanding of the plants biology and biotechnological tools. This is particularly true in the case of breeding technologies, where there is great need for genetic preservation systems and potential for the development of seedless triploids or higher ploidy levels. Preliminary reports are promising, but there remains many questions on the implications and potential of this approach. In this project, we aim to address some of these deficiencies by refining cryopreservation methods to facilitate the long term conservation of clonal lines and evaluate polyploid breeding methodologies for genetic improvement in cannabis. These projects will be coupled with advanced metabolomic and genomic tools to gain in depth understandings of the genetic fidelity of cryopreserved material, and detailed information on the impacts of increased ploidy. These experiments will provide new insights into cannabis biology and ensure that the Canadian Cannabis industry remains globally competitive as the industry expands.