Biochemical transformation of Cannabis Sativa

2009.06.28

Biotechnology is a science that utilizes resources extracted from live organisms with the purpose of improving human life. In the field of botanic, this science deals with the genetic engineering, with the purpose of finding the vegetable varieties that can make better the ones that already exist.

The different possibilities of hemp utilization have raised the interest in the cultivation of this vegetable in the European countries, as well as United States and Australia. Some of those countries have historical utilization of cannabis sativa in the field of medicine, in the extraction of oil and fiber for papers and tissues. Because of this demand, by the last years have developed different technique to improve the cultivation and the production of fibers, increase the resistance to patients and adapt the levels of psycho actives substances accepted by the constitutions.

Many methodologies have been created with the purpose of ameliorate the selection of cultivable cannabis in relation to its psycho active content, creating a big distinction between the psycho active plants, that have THC, and the ones that have a low level of psychotropic cannabinoids, the CBD.

By this distinction it is possible to elect the plants with high quality of material for the industry and low concentration of THC. The biochemical composition of modified plants can be modified, despite all, after some generations. The changes that the modified plants can suffer in the levels of cannabinoids by the third generation are because of the climatic conditions in the chemical composition of cannabis.

The plus utilized method for the genetic amelioration in the cultivation of hemp has been the selection of vegetables founded in the quality of the fibers and seeds for oil. The plats with high quantity of oil and seeds are separated for the cultivation of oil; the plants selected for the production of fiber are separated by the height of the stalk and in consequence of its fibers.

In comparison to the females, the masculine plants produce fibers of better quality for the industry, because they have bigger inter nodes, and because of that monoecious vegetables are created with male plants characteristics. The monism requires a continued selection in the process of multiplication of seeds.

Another preoccupation from the biotechnology is to develop techniques of cultivation that do not have need to big areas of plantations. A proposition is the cultivation in vitro of the cells and tissues of this vegetable, what can remedy the problems of the alterations in the levels of psycho actives substances because of the climatic conditions. All those efforts are developed in the research of the reintroduction of hemp cultivation in different parties of the world. The motivations are, especially, in ecological benefits of the natural fiber over the synthetic fibers and of the low necessity of toxic products in the cultivation of cannabis sativa.