Cannabis Tissue Culture vs. Cloning
The increasing legalization of cannabis and the discovery of its usefulness for the treatment of several diseases and illnesses has sparked a heightened interest in cannabis. This has led to more research on cannabis to find ways of improving the cannabis plant and led to the discovery of new methods of preserving and reproducing its genetics. One such method is cloning which is a long-recognized method by many cannabis cultivators to reproduce and preserve the genetics of certain plants. However, it is slowly being replaced by tissue culture which is being considered by experts as a better method of reproducing a plant’s genetics. It is also a means of creating the best, most dependable and uniform form of cannabis plants that can cater to the constantly increasing demand for the plant.
Tissue culture as a method of reproducing and preserving a plant’s genetic properties has been around since the 1950s and adopted for use with several plants such as flowers, hay, fruits, and vegetables so far. It involves several techniques that are aimed at nurturing plant tissues, cells and organs in a wide variety of ingredients to promote the growth of the plant clones and preserve its genetics in a method referred to as micropropagation.
The tissue culture or micropropagation process takes approximately 10-14 weeks which begins with obtaining the plant cells to be used, inserting them into a mixture of nutrients to allow them to grow. They are then transplanted at 6 or 8 weeks into an atmosphere that allows them to develop roots before the final acclimation which takes about two weeks. The ingredients used for this method include activated charcoal, vitamins, agar, micronutrients and macronutrients which can either be gotten in ready-made blends or combined in-house.
Tissue culture is being adopted in many cannabis cultivation companies as a means of increasing their cannabis production, this is especially so for those companies in areas where it is largely legalized such as California and Canada as a means of meeting up with the demands of consumers. Also, few nurseries dedicated to tissue culture have cropped up recently mainly to supply cannabis growers, thus allowing them to experiment with strain replications and genetic preservation.
Why is Tissue Culture Preferred over Cloning?
Unlike cloning which involves growing a genetically identical plant from one cut off a mother plant, tissue culture involves the growth of a new plant from a living tissue placed in an artificial medium of cells and has some considerate advantages over cloning which would include:
Efficiency in terms of plant production thus allowing cultivators to get more revenue and save money.
Better and easier preservation of plant genetics.
More starter plants as cloning are only able to produce about a quarter of the output of tissue culture.
Minimal space and maintenance needed as tissue culture does not require mother plant storage or too much attention for it to be carried out.
Healthier and cleaner plants than those grown from cloning as they can be cultured to be not only disease free but also virus free.
Less variation in terms of plant grown as there is decreased exposure to contamination in tissue culture when compared to cloning.
The method is easier than traditional growth as it does not require planting of seeds.
Also, it is important to remember that though tissue culture can be integrated into any cannabis business no matter the size, it is not just something to rush in to, rather there should be a lot of thought put into it as it requires considerable funds, expertise and time to be successful. However, if it is done properly, it can lead to some considerable growth for any business if an investment is made after a proper cost-benefit analysis is done.
Prospects
Tissue cloning is certainly full of promise for not only cannabis but all plant cultivation in general as they can be micro-propagated and chosen based on their preferred traits over and over again to get the best of the best. However, it requires adequate knowledge and expertise in addition to exacting conditions such as a sterile environment and good light, humidity and temperature control.
This makes it something too complicated for small-scale cannabis cultivators to undertake but it is hoped that with more advancement and research in cannabis technology, it will be something that everyone can soon make use of as it has a lot of potential for a new generation of strong, disease-free and bountiful yields. And we can rest assured of further advances to emerge in tissue culture which will cause considerable growth in cannabis cultivation as more researches and experiments are carried out. Furthermore, it is expected that more cannabis cultivation companies will adopt this method of growth so cannabis enthusiasts can have access to healthier cannabis.
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