Potency and Nutrients: Is There a Distinct Correlation?

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Analytical Cannabis

Speaking at the Analytical Cannabis Expo East Online 2020, Jini Curry, Laboratory Director at Modern Canna Labs presented her research on the link between potency and nutrients in cannabis. Abstract: The potency of chemovars is known to be affected by the plant’s genomics. However, are genomics the only factor that plays a role in the potency of cannabis? Theoretically, healthier plants should result in potency values that are on the higher end of the known potency range for specific chemovars. This study will look at a variety of nutrients to determine if they play a role in the resulting potency. Cannabis is known to be a hyperaccumulator and will therefore, uptake nutrients from the soil and growth mediums to help the plant grow. Utilizing modified Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) methodology, our laboratory will determine if specific nutrient concentrations can result in potency differences of well-known chemovars. Currently, the industry has not determined the ideal concentrations for macro and micronutrients in the buds. However, this study has focused on determining what concentrations of nutrients should be seen in the buds and has compared those results to the potency values, so that a correlation between these factors could be established.