Growing consistent cannabis is challenging, even for experienced growers working with high-end equipment. The temperatures, humidity and spectrums of light that the plants are exposed to all affect the specific balance of terpenes and cannabinoids expressed by a strain. Even two genetically identical clones grown in slightly different conditions can produce notably different cannabis, leading to distinctly different effects for users.
That inconsistency is one of the biggest challenges facing the maturing cannabis industry, according to David Kessler, the Chief Science Officer at Agrify. No other recreational or medicinal industry accepts such dramatic product variance, he points out. That presents a problem for both recreational consumers and for medicinal patients seeking relief.
Getting cannabis to grow the same way every time “is really a discussion of nature-to-nurture,” Kessler says. Finding that perfect equilibrium and harnessing it would represent a massive step for the cannabis industry.
Which was why Kessler approached Dr. Jonathan Vaught with Front Range Biosciences (FRB), a Boulder-based cannabis and hemp genetics testing company. Its recently announced R&D partnership will merge Agrify’s futuristic vertical cultivation technology with FRB’s bioengineered cannabis and hemp technology – to not only master the art of growing cannabis and hemp consistently but also to increase product yield and potency.
Read more at boulderweekly.com.