Researchers at the University of Guelph have published a scientific paper on the production of medical marijuana. This is widely believed as the first scientific research paper on marijuana production in North America. With these research and others, it is hoped that there will be further technological improvements in the cultivation of marijuana. Â
Prof. Youbin Zheng, from the School of Environmental Sciences explained that there had been very little scientific research done on the cultivation of marijuana because of how illegal the plant was before. Science was hardly involved in the cultivation of the crop.
Prof. Youbin Zheng, together with Prof. Mike Dixon and PhD student Deron Caplan conducted a scientific investigation of soilless growing substrates and optimal fertilizer rates that are required to grow marijuana plants that have greater yield and higher amounts of medical components.
Their study was published in the journal HortScience. Their research was partly sponsored by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. It was further revealed that there would be more studies from the University of Guelph to investigate better cultivation methods for medical marijuana indoors.
Prof. Youbin Zheng mentioned that The University of Guelph is one of the foremost universities in the world for horticultural research especially for the controlled production of environment plants. Moreover he revealed that The University of Guelph has the expertise and technology to boost research in this field and they have the right training facilities for horticulturalists that are ready to take the cultivation of medical marijuana to the next level. For several years, The University of Guelph has been carrying out research on the production of medicinal marijuana for years. Legislative changes have made more people become interested in getting more scientific knowledge on the growth of medical marijuana. This has given The University more drive to focus on the research on medical marijuana.
The scientific study that was published focused on the performance of plants during the vegetative stage of growth. The team of researchers worked on two soilless growing substrate recipes and worked out the right amount of fertilizer to produce high-yielding marijuana plants that are rich in THC and cannabidiol which are the two major medicinal components of marijuana.
The researchers are working on a second paper that explains growth substrate conditions and optimal fertilizer rates for marijuana plants at the flowering stage. The paper will soon be published in HortScience.
The research team is now studying irrigation and lighting to grow marijuana that is of high quality and high-yielding. It is always good to hear the so many medical properties of the several marijuana strains.
Prof. Mike Dixon, the director of the Controlled Environment Systems Research Facility said that when the light spectrum is controlled, the concentration of cannabidiol can be standardized. Cannabidiol is a chemical component in medical marijuana that produces no intoxicating effect.
Prof. Mike Dixon hopes that their expertise in the field can be applied to other areas that are yet to be researched on scientifically.