JULY 2019 GERMINATION.CA 7 pollinated grain and fibre varieties over time. We’re actually learning more from other domesticated spe- cies where serious technology has been applied and then we’re applying that to hemp.” For McKay and New West Genetics, one of the best places to look to learn how to breed hemp actually has nothing to do with plant breeding at all. “You basically have to look to cattle to find how to run an intensive breed- ing program for a species like can- nabis that has both male and female plants,” he adds. “There are some fruit trees that are diecious, but they gener- ally don’t have high-tech breeding pro- grams attached to them. We’re having to look more to the animal model, because plant breeders aren’t typically familiar with diecious plants.” In addition to fibre and grain, NWG is also breeding for large scale production of non-THC cannabinoids. With CBD becoming a hot commod- ity for its use in tinctures, ointments and more, NWG is carving a niche for itself in a market previously untapped. “Given our regulatory system, right now people are using clonal propa- gation and manual labour to harvest hemp for CBD production. Where we come in is having these varieties opti- mized for mechanical processing, but still have good CBD yields on a per- dry weight basis and superior yields on an acre basis,” says McKay. Genetics is Just the Start Despite the promise held by new varieties of hemp that promise higher CBD levels, Jan Slaski of InnoTech Alberta has a few words of warning. Over the last 17 years, Slaski has been leading research aimed at introduction and breeding of hemp varieties that suit the needs of the fibre and food industries on the Prairies. To fully realize potential residing within the hemp plant and to ensure whole crop utilization, he assembled a breeding program that includes three domains: breeding and agronomy, fibre processing and product development. According to Slaski, the excitement surrounding CBD and other cannabi- noids produced in the hemp plant will be tempered as producers learn more about just how complicated the process can be when it comes to get- ting a quality product for processing. “I get five to eight calls every day from people asking how they can make money on CBD and claiming to have access to high-CBD lines. The fact is, genetics is only one of three factors when it comes to successful CBD production,” he says. Currently, no varieties of high- CBD hemp are registered to be grown in Canada. Because hemp is simply cannabis that is bred to con- tain low THC levels (by law, it must contain no more than 0.3 per cent THC), hemp producers in Canada looking to sell their product for CBD extraction must use hemp varieties that contain comparatively low levels of CBD, generally in the two per cent range. “For years, very few breeding programs in the world focused on improving CBD levels in industrial hemp varieties. They looked primar- ily at early maturity, short stature, something that suited the needs of grain growers,” Slaski says. “I’ve been regularly approached by people claiming to have access to lines with 10 to 15 per cent CBD. Health Canada is very firm on what needs to be done to get high-CBD varieties on the list of approved cultivars — three years of field trials in Canada and no more than 0.3 per cent THC.” In other words, it’s going to be a little while before high-CBD hemp varieties are approved in Canada. Until then, Slaski says producers hoping to capitalize on the CBD from hemp have to think hard about a vari- ety of factors, genetics being just one. “Growing conditions are very important. Environment influences CBD levels in industrial hemp,” he says. The other factor is crop manage- ment, something Slaski says is often forgotten in the rush to extract CBD from hemp. “You can lose up to 80 per cent if you don’t know what you’re doing, like drying it excessively or not han- dling it with care. “High-CBD hemp is grown in the U.S. in an orchard style. Each plant is harvested by hand and then handled and dried in a shed. Everything is manual. Such farming practices are useless at a large commercial scale in Canada due to our large number of acres,” he says. Greg Baute envisions a future in which new varieties of cannabis are available for just such a purpose. “The question is how high can you push CBD content without going over that threshold of 0.3 per cent THC,” Baute says. An artist's rendering of the Cannabis Innovation Centre.