Growing and Harvesting Testing
Growing and Harvesting
Analytical testing during cultivation is geared toward increasing crop yield and quality. At this early stage, growers can create a cannabinoid profile and determine the plant strain, as well as the levels of terpenoids, phytocannabinoids, and other compounds of interest. Acquiring these results early gives growers a competitive edge by identifying which plants will eventually be culled and discarded, thus avoiding significant time, energy, space, and monetary investments into these plants.
When all plants in a crop have identical characteristics, it is possible to determine production yield and quality attributes:
- Female sex – genetic testing of leaf samples can determine the sex of a plant approximately 6 weeks before male/female characteristics are first seen.
- Cannabinoid composition and potency – analysis of leaf samples (as early as the first true leaf) can determine the cannabinoid profile of the mature plant, which typically varies little over the life of the plant.
- Other defining characteristics including size, growing cycle, nutrient need, and disease resistance.
It is much more efficient and cost-effective to cultivate and extract plants with the optimal compound profile than to change the composition of extracts later via purification procedures.
Growing and Harvesting References
