[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.Resin heads may serve to break up therays of the sun so that fewer of them strike the leaf surface and raise thetemperature.However, light and heat also destroy THC.In a drug strain, a bio-synthetic rate must be maintained such that substantially more THC is producedthan is broken down.Humidity is an interesting parameter of THC production andone of the least understood.Most high-quality drug Cannabis grows in areas that are dry much of the time at least during the maturation period.It follows thatincreased resin produc.tion in response to arid conditions might account forincreased THC production.High-THC strains, however, also grow in very humidconditions (greenhouses and equatorial zones) and produce copious quantitiesof resin.Cannabis seems not to produce more resins in response to dry soil, as itdoes to a dry atmosphere.Drying out plants by with-holding water for the lastweeks of flowering does not stimulate THC production, although an aridatmosphere may do so.A Cannabis plant in flower requires water, so thatnutrients are available.for operating the various bio-synthetic pathways.There is really no confirmed method of forcing increased THC production.Manytechniques have developed through misinterpretations of ancient tradition.InColombia, farmers girdle the stalk of the main stem, which cuts off the flow ofwater and nutrients between the roots and the shoots.This technique may notraise the final THC level, but it does cause rapid maturation and yellow goldcoloration in the floral cluster (Partridge 1973).Impaling with nails, pine splinters,balls of opium, and stones are clandestine folk methods of promoting flowering,taste and THC production.However none of these have any valid documentationfrom the original culture or scientific basis.Symbiotic relationships between herbsin companion plantings are known to influence the production of essential oils.Experiments might be carried out with different herbs, such as stinging nettles, ascompanion plants for Cannabis, in an effort to stimulate resin production.In thefuture, agricultural techniques may be discovered which specifically promoteTHC biosynthesis.In general, it is considered most important that the plant be healthy for it toproduce high THC levels.The genotype of the plant, a result of seed selection, isthe primary factor which determines the THC levels.After that, the provision ofadequate organic nutrients, water, sunlight, fresh air, growing space, and time formaturation seems to be the key to producing high-THC Cannabis in allcircumstances.Stress resulting from inadequacies in the environment limits thetrue expression of phenotype and cannabinoid potential.Cannabis finds a normaladaptive defense in the production of THC laden resins, and it seems logical thata healthy plant is best able to raise this defense.Forcing plants to produce is aperverse ideal and alien to the principles of organic agriculture.Plants are notmachines that can be worked faster and harder to produce more.The lifeprocesses of the plant rely on delicate natural balances aimed at the ultimatesurvival of the plant until it reproduces.The most a Cannabis cultivator orresearcher can expect to do is provide all the requisites for healthy growth andguide the plant until it matures.Flowering in Cannabis may be forced or accelerated by many differenttechniques.This does not mean that THC production is forced, only that the timebefore and during flowering is shortened and flowers are produced rapidly.Mosttechniques involve the deprivation of light during the long days of summer topromote early floral induction and sexual differentiation.This is sometimes done by moving the plants inside a completely dark structure for 12 hours of each 24-hour day until the floral clusters are mature.This stimulates an autumn light cycleand promotes flowering at any time of the year.In the field, covers may be madeto block out the sun for a few hours at sunrise or sunset, and these are used tocover small plants.Photoperiod alteration is most easily accomplished in agreenhouse, where blackout curtains are easily rolled over the plants.DrugCannabis production requires 11-12 hours of continuous darkness to induceflowering and at least 10 hours of light for adequate THC production (Valle et al.1978).In a greenhouse, supplemental lighting need be used only to extenddaylength, while the sun supplies the energy needed for growth and THCbiosynthesis.It is not known why at least 10 hours (and preferably 12 or 13hours) of light are needed for high THC production
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
