Cannabis sativa L. - Botany and Biotechnology

(Jacob Rumans) #1

Cannabis. All plants domesticated forfiber tend to share a common set of selected
characters (e.g. primaryfiber constitutes a large percentage of the stem, CBD makes
up a large percentage of the cannabinoids, THC rarely is present in large amounts,
and the plants are photoperiodically adapted toflower relatively quickly in higher
latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere), and all plants domesticated for intoxicating
effect tend to share a different set of contrasting characters (e.g. secondary, not
primaryfiber constitutes a large percentage of the stem, THC makes up a large
percentage of the cannabinoids, and photoperiodic adaptation is usually for later
flowering in relatively lower latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere).
As shown in Fig.1.11, divergent selection for“seed”(achene) shattering (sep-
aration from the maternal plant) in ruderal plants and achene retention in


Fig. 1.10 Divergent selection forfiber and intoxicating drug content


Fig. 1.11 Divergent selection for adaptive achene (“seed”) characteristics between domesticated
and wild plants


1 Classification ofCannabis sativaL. in Relation... 53

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