The European Commission has approved a new auto-flowering variety of hemp, which its creators say could be a game-changer for farmers in cold regions.
According to CBD Seed Europe, who registered these autoflowering feminized CBD hemp seeds, these seeds will not only lower the bar for farmers hoping to break into the market, but also enable those living in colder climates in Europe Northern countries, such as the United Kingdom, to significantly reduce the costs of hemp cultivation and CBD extraction.
Americo Folcarelli, founder of CBD Seed Europe, spoke to Business Of Cannabis : “I am very proud of the hard work of our breeders and genetic research team, who managed to achieve what everyone thought was impossible under the strict requirements of the European Union. »
What are autoflowering seeds?
Cannabis Sativa plants are traditionally “photoperiodic” species: they rely on changes in the duration of light and darkness to trigger flowering.
In the wild, plants flower towards the end of summer, when the days get shorter. For growers, especially in colder climates with less sunlight, one of the biggest and most expensive hurdles is controlling the light environment.
However, as their name suggests, auto-flowering species are able to transition from vegetative to flowering stages depending on their age and overall growth, without depending on changes in light cycles.
This transition usually takes place between two and four weeks after germination and, in the case of CBD Seed Europe's product, the total growth period is 75 days.
While these seeds have been readily available in North America for some time, stricter quality control procedures in the European Union have until now prevented these seeds from being legally available.
Mr. Folcarelli explained to Business of Cannabis: “One of the main obstacles to listing a genetic seed in the European Union catalog is that it has to be very, very stable. This means that there cannot be a whole series of phenotypes. »
“Typically autoflowering strains have these kinds of problems and have five or six different phenotypes. We've managed to narrow down the number of phenotypes to the point where we technically have three, but it's impossible to distinguish them from one another. »
In Europe, any seed, whether hemp or tomatoes, must undergo a two-year registration procedure to be included in the common catalog, with producers subject to regular audits for ensure that seeds continue to meet the standard.
Advantages and disadvantages of autoflowering
These autoflowering strains have a number of benefits for farmers. Less dependent on light, they allow cultivation during the winter months. They are also much better suited to outdoor growing operations, where there is no precise control of light conditions.
For those growing indoors, reducing the amount of light needed can significantly reduce growers' expenses and carbon footprint.
Additionally, the short life cycle allows farmers to grow multiple plants in a single season, while the compact size and rapid flowering allow plants to be planted more densely, doubling the number of plants to grow.
These factors combined make autoflowering strains much more attractive to farmers who are starting out in hemp cultivation for the first time.
Of course, there are also disadvantages compared to traditional varieties. As described above, the genetics of auto-flowering strains may be less stable, resulting in more variation between individual plants with a large number of phenotypes.
While the automatic nature of the flowering process has its advantages, it also means that there is less opportunity for control, limiting the ability to manipulate plant size or remedy problems such as clipping or pruning.
Although plants can be grown much more densely, auto-flowering plants tend to produce lower yields and often have lower CBD levels than traditional photoperiod varieties. But CBD Seed Europe has also approved CBD hemp seeds whose plants develop up to 12% CBD while remaining below 0.3% THC.
