1. Breeding Cannabis sativa for
Medicinal and Industrial
Applications
Presented by Joseph R. Chidiac
Department of Horticulture
University of Arkansas
2.
3. Taxonomy
o Kingdom: Plantae
o Subkingdom: Viridiplantae
o Infrakingdom: Streptophyta
o Superdivision: Embryophyta
o Division: Tracheophyta
o Subdivision: Spermatophytina
o Class: Magnoliopsida
o Superorder: Rosanae
o Order: Rosales
o Family: Cannabaceae
o Genus: Cannabis
o Species: Sativa
Indica
Sativa
4.
5. Legal History
Pre-1900: The cultivation of cannabis was ubiquitous
and highly encouraged in every culture for its myriad
of uses.
1906: Pure Food and Drug Act—required cannabis to
be properly labeled.
1914: Harrison Narcotics Tax Act—gave the federal
government authority to regulate the trade of
narcotics.
1925: International Opium Convention—banned the
export of Indian hemp but not American or European
hemp.
1932: Uniform State Narcotic Act—encouraged states
to adopt the authority to regulate illicit trade.
1937: Marihuana Tax Act—banned the possession
and distribution of hemp outside of licensed use.
6. Current State of Affairs (2015)
• Alaska
• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• DC, Washington
• Delaware
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Montana
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• Vermont
• Washington
• Australia
• Austria
• Canada
• Chile
• China
• Denmark
• Egypt
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Great Britain
• Hungary
• India
• Italy
• Japan
• Korea
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Poland
• Portugal
• Russia
• Romania
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Switzerland
• Turkey
• Thailand
• Ukraine
• Israel
• Canada
7. Economic Significance
• Colorado:
– $98 million
– *$40* million
– $350 million (2014)
• California:
– $104 million
– $433 million (2014)
• USA:
– $581 million
– $3/$35 billion (2014)
• British Columbia:
– $6 billion (2014)
17. CBGa – Cannabigerolic acid
Properties:
• Analgesic
• Anti-bacterial
• Anti-inflammatory
• Anti-proliferative
Potential in treating:
• Cancer
Studied for its role in the
synthesis of other cannabinoids.
39. Selection Process
Sequence DNA of progeny and look for:
Presence of genes for biosynthesis enzymes
Number of duplicates in the genome for each
Type of Promoter Region (PR)
Type of Upstream Activating Region (UAR)
Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs)
www.medicinalgenomics.com
42. The Potential of New Cultivars
“Charlotte’s Web”
Named for
Charlotte Figi
0.5% THC
17% CBD
Reduces child
seizures
dramatically
Alleviated epilepsy symptoms from Dravet syndrome
Lived with 300 seizures per week before treatment
Had adverse effects from conventional treatment
43. ¡Thank you all for your presence!
¿Are there any questions?