Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Tags: Cannabis Genetics, Cannabis Genomics, Cannabis Genome, Genetic Editing, Novel Cultivars
Todd Michael, PhD presents, "Cannabis Pangenome Exposes Minor Cannabinoid Pathway Potential" at CannMed 2025.
Cannabis has been intertwined with the human experience for thousands of years. However, the last century of prohibition severely constrained legal breeding efforts and slowed the development of germplasm resources, leaving the full potential of hemp-based oil, fiber, and pharmaceutical products untapped. Existing cultivars remain highly heterozygous and uncompetitive in the fiber and grain markets, restricting hemp cultivation to fewer than 200,000 hectares globally. The relaxation of drug laws in recent decades has sparked widespread interest in reintroducing cannabis into agricultural systems, but progress has been hindered by a limited understanding of its genomics and breeding potential.
We developed a cannabis pangenome by integrating 181 new and 12 previously released genomes, representing 156 biological samples from both male (XY) and female (XX) plants, covering varying chemotypes and photoperiod sensitivities from hemp, feral and marijuana plants. The pangenome includes 42 trio-phased and 36 haplotype-resolved, chromosome-scale assemblies, which enabled the identification of extensive genetic and structural diversity, highlighting potential breeding bottlenecks. Despite this diversity, we found cannabinoid synthase genes, which are the last step in the pathway, exhibit surprisingly low variation, even though they are embedded within highly variable regions containing non-functional paralogs and transposable elements. Additionally, we identified acyl-lipid thioesterase (ALT) gene variants that influence fatty acid chain length and are linked to the production of minor cannabinoids such as tetrahydrocannabinol varin (THCV) and cannabidiol varin (CBDV). The cannabis pangenome exposed unprecedented potential to develop novel cultivars tailored for emerging cannabinoid markets.
Learning Objectives:
⦾ The cannabis genome contains extensive genetic and structural diversity impacting breeding efforts
⦾ Even 200 genomes spanning diverse germplasm still does not capture all the diversity of the cannabis genome
⦾ The cannabis pangenome reveals unprecedented potential to develop novel cultivars tailored for emerging cannabinoid markets
Learn More about CannMed: cannmedevents.com
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Tags: Cannabis Genetics, Cannabis Genomics, Cannabis Genome, Genetic Editing, Novel Cultivars
Todd Michael, PhD presents, "Cannabis Pangenome Exposes Minor Cannabinoid Pathway Potential" at CannMed 2025.
Cannabis has been intertwined with the human experience for thousands of years. However, the last century of prohibition severely constrained legal breeding efforts and slowed the development of germplasm resources, leaving the full potential of hemp-based oil, fiber, and pharmaceutical products untapped. Existing cultivars remain highly heterozygous and uncompetitive in the fiber and grain markets, restricting hemp cultivation to fewer than 200,000 hectares globally. The relaxation of drug laws in recent decades has sparked widespread interest in reintroducing cannabis into agricultural systems, but progress has been hindered by a limited understanding of its genomics and breeding potential.
We developed a cannabis pangenome by integrating 181 new and 12 previously released genomes, representing 156 biological samples from both male (XY) and female (XX) plants, covering varying chemotypes and photoperiod sensitivities from hemp, feral and marijuana plants. The pangenome includes 42 trio-phased and 36 haplotype-resolved, chromosome-scale assemblies, which enabled the identification of extensive genetic and structural diversity, highlighting potential breeding bottlenecks. Despite this diversity, we found cannabinoid synthase genes, which are the last step in the pathway, exhibit surprisingly low variation, even though they are embedded within highly variable regions containing non-functional paralogs and transposable elements. Additionally, we identified acyl-lipid thioesterase (ALT) gene variants that influence fatty acid chain length and are linked to the production of minor cannabinoids such as tetrahydrocannabinol varin (THCV) and cannabidiol varin (CBDV). The cannabis pangenome exposed unprecedented potential to develop novel cultivars tailored for emerging cannabinoid markets.
Learning Objectives:
⦾ The cannabis genome contains extensive genetic and structural diversity impacting breeding efforts
⦾ Even 200 genomes spanning diverse germplasm still does not capture all the diversity of the cannabis genome
⦾ The cannabis pangenome reveals unprecedented potential to develop novel cultivars tailored for emerging cannabinoid markets
Learn More about CannMed: cannmedevents.com
Sign Up for Our Newsletter: share.hsforms.com/1oi57oJDnRN-Uqqc9YPByRA20xr2
