Light Quality Impacts Vertical Growth Rate, Phytochemical Yield and Cannabinoid Production Efficiency in Cannabis sativa

Abstract

Light is one of the most crucial parameters for enclosed cannabis (Cannabis sativa) production, as it highly influences growth, secondary metabolite production, and operational costs. The objective of this study was to investigate and evaluate the impact of six light spectra on C. sativa (‘Babbas Erkle Cookies’ accession) growth traits and secondary metabolite (cannabinoid and terpene) profiles. The light spectra evaluated included blue (430 nm), red (630 nm), rose (430 + 630 nm, ratio 1:10), purple (430 + 630 nm, ratio 2:1), and amber (595 nm) LED treatments, in addition to a high-pressure sodium (HPS, amber-rich light) treatment as a control. All the LED light treatments had lower fresh mean inflorescence mass than the control (HPS, 133.59 g plant−1), and monochromatic blue light yielded the least fresh inflorescence mass (76.39 g plant−1). Measurement of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration (%) and total yield (g plant−1) showed how inflorescence mass and THC concentration need to be analyzed conjointly. Blue treatment resulted in the highest THC concentration (10.17% m/m), yet the lowest THC concentration per plant (1.44 g plant−1). The highest THC concentration per plant was achieved with HPS (2.54 g plant−1). As with THC, blue light increased cannabigerol (CBG) and terpene concentration. Conversely, blue light had a lesser impact on cannabidiol (CBD) biosynthesis in this C. sativa chemotype. As the combined effects of the light spectrum on both growth traits and secondary metabolites have important ramifications for the industry, the inappropriate spectral design could cause a reduction in cannabinoid production (20–40%). These findings show promise in helping producers choose spectral designs that meet specific C. sativa production goals.

Effects of Particle Size, Solvent Type, and Extraction Temperature on the Extraction of Crude Cannabis Oil, Cannabinoids, and Terpenes

“…Cannabis accessions, environmental conditions during cultivation, harvesting techniques, and post-harvest processing are four critical parameters that affect secondary metabolite profiles, in addition to the quality of the cannabis plant biomass or cannabis-derived products; as such, post-harvest activities are considered by some as crucial to the entire economy, requiring technological evaluation and innovation. − Cannabis post-harvest technologies have been developed to reduce operational costs and maximize solvent recovery and oil yields while maintaining secondary metabolite quality. Extraction is an essential process in cannabis to free the bioactive compounds from the plant matrix and to broaden the range of utilization of these compounds in the medicinal and food industries .…”

Diverse Flowering Response to Blue Light Manipulation: Application of Electric Lighting in Controlled-Environment Plant Production

“…For cannabis grown indoors under sole-source lighting, a combination of BL with other wavelength(s) performs better than BL alone in terms of inflorescence yield, but the optimal BL proportions vary with the combined light wave-length(s) with BL. For example, when delivered as sole-source lighting, the blue LED had lower fresh inflorescence mass than HPS, as well as other LEDs such as red LED or RB-LEDs (9% B or 67% B) despite increased ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration in terms of dry mass, and cannabigerol (CBG) and terpene concentration [82]. Differently, in another study on cannabis under sole-source lighting, RB-LED with 47% B or 18% B increased inflorescence yields compared with HPS (5% B), or white LED (26% B) [83].…”

Effect of Amber (595 nm) Light Supplemented with Narrow Blue (430 nm) Light on Tomato Biomass

“…Supplementing narrow amber with narrow blue light in this study resulted in a 39.9% increase in FM compared to the monochromatic narrow amber light treatment. It can be hypothesized that the addition of blue light is necessary for tomato plant development and that of other plants such as cucumber and cannabis [35,36]. Blue light triggers stomatal aperture opening driven by phototropins (Phot) 1 and 2 and, therefore, access to CO 2 , ultimately enhancing photosynthesis [37][38][39].…”