Page 14 - CSHS 2022 Book of Abstracts - 2022-08-22 web version

CSHS 2022 Conference

(CO.3) Can UV Increase Potency of Cannabis in Controlled Environment Cultivation?
Youbin Zheng*, David Llewellyn
Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON
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Based on some early studies, cannabis’ secondary metabolites were considered as plants’ “sunscreen” which were
thought to increase under exposure to UV light. Two experiments were conducted at different commercial cannabis
cultivation operations with an array of UV dosages and wavelengths applied to different cannabis cultivars at
various developmental stages. Plant growth, yield, and inflorescence potency were measured. This talk will present
the results and discuss the potential for using UV exposures to enhance cannabis quality in controlled environment
cannabis production environments.

(CO.4) Cannabis cultivation under specific LEDs and fertilization practices coupled with

postharvest freeze-drying and optimized extraction procedures can increase cannabis products
yield, potency and profitability
Vincent Desaulniers Brousseau*, Philip Wiredu Addo, Justin Bohemen, Zohreh Poudineh, Sai Uday
Kumar Reddy, Jérôme Trudel-Brais, Sarah MacPherson, Mark G. Lefsrud
Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC
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The Cannabis Unit is a specialized team within the Biomass Production Laboratory at McGill University that is
headed by Dr. Mark Lefsrud. Its research activities focus on: (1) pre- and (2) post-harvest technologies that show
promise in making cannabis production more profitable and sustainable, all while maintaining quality and safety for
consumers. (1) Pre-harvest technologies studies include the use of light-emitting diodes (LED) for plant production,
fertilizer delivery and environmental monitoring. Data collected to date indicate that specific wavelengths have
significant impact on total cannabinoid yield and plant morphology when compared to traditional high-intensity
discharge lights. Wavelength manipulation can decrease energy demand in interior production, while adapted
fertilizer regimes can potentially decrease total fertilizer input by a third while providing similar yield in outdoor
production. (2) Postharvest studies show that freeze-drying cannabis greatly decreases postharvest processing time
by increasing moisture diffusion, ultimately improving the shelf life. Freeze-drying additionally causes structural
damage to trichomes. Extraction efficiency appears affected by sample/solvent ratio as well as feed flow rate. Taken
together, manipulation of these parameters could increase THC content by 23% in crude oil. These studies hint that
the effect of postharvest techniques on cannabinoids and terpenes content can be explained by ongoing biosynthesis
of cannabinoids and terpenes after harvest. Taken together, these findings should help in delineating technologies
that may be further developed and adopted when aiming for a more sustainable and profitable cannabis industry.

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