The seedless Triploid cannabis genetics revolution

Triploid cannabis seeds may not be too far away from being a commercial reality. Triploid genetics have been used extensively in farming, bringing stabilised increases in both yield and quality. The same could also prove true for cannabis and that has got everyone in the cannabis industry very excited. One other benefit for the home grower is the fact that plants grown from cannabis seeds containing triploid genetics won’t ever produce seeds. Even if you have a rogue hermaphrodite (or male) nearby.

A brief history of cannabis genetics breeding

Traditionally cannabis genetics contain two sets of chromosomes making it diploid. In regular cannabis seeds, one comes from the male parent (the ‘Y’ chromosome) and one from the female parent (the ‘X’ chromosome). Regular cannabis seeds therefore have ‘XY’ chromosome pairs.

In feminised cannabis seeds only two ‘X’ chromosomes from the female are present, giving rise to (generally) all female offspring. Photoperiod feminised cannabis seeds (and feminised autoflower seeds) have an ‘XX’ chromosome pair.

With triploid seeds there are three sets of chromosomes. The extra set comes from either the male or the female parent. Because there is an odd number of chromosomes fertilisation of a triploid plant can’t take place - the plants are sterile and therefore triploids are always completely seedless.

There are many industries that take advantage of triploid genetics, the best example of a mainstream agricultural crop that uses triploid genetics is the global banana industry. In order to guarantee commercial-sellable bananas, without hard black seeds inside, triploid banana genetics are used from the ‘Cavendish’ strain.

Triploids bananas are seedless. Since triploid plants can’t be pollinated, triploid banana plants can only be propagated by taking cuttings (clones).

Feminised cannabis seeds vs triploid cannabis seeds

Feminised cannabis seeds are now the industry standard following their 1990’s introduction by Dutch Passion. Even Dutch Passion, which still boasts one of the largest remaining collection of regular cannabis seeds in the industry only sells around 2% of their cannabis seeds in regular form. Cannabis breeding, both for autoflower seeds and photoperiod feminised seeds, has until now focussed on traditional ‘diploid’ (2 sets of chromosomes) genetics. But the coming years may see the first triploid cannabis seeds becoming available. And with them could come a step-change in yields and quality.

Cannabinoid levels could be stable in triploid cannabis even at saturation levels and you would never need to worry about accidentally seeded crops. What’s more, if you wanted to give your friends cuttings of your favourite triploid cannabis plants you can. They will root easily and grow into healthy new triploid plants with the same elite genetics. You can take as many cuttings from a triploid cannabis plant as you could from a non-triploid.

Triploid cannabis genetics wouldn’t be the same as GMO, triploidy is genetic manipulation rather than genetic modification. So if it meant that you could grow heavier yields of more potent buds would you grow seedless triploid cannabis genetics?

Sinsemilla and the problem with cannabis pollen

Cannabis pollen is one of the biggest threats to a crop, both for home growers as well as professional licensed growers. It’s a source of anxiety and worry. Allow a crop to become seeded and you will inevitably feel bitterly disappointed.

Feedback from Dutch Passion customers over many decades has shown that the top-3 items on the wish-list for new seeds are:

•    Cannabis seeds that are easier & faster to grow
•    Cannabis seeds that produce more potent buds in heavier quantities
•    Strains that wouldn’t form their own cannabis seeds if accidentally exposed to pollen

Seedless cannabis, or sinsemilla, is the goal of all growers (apart from breeders). Feminised triploid cannabis seeds offer growers the option to guarantee seedless crops and at the same time produce highly consistent harvests. If cannabis breeders can combine killer genetics and deliver them in triploid form, the benefits for cannabis growers may quite easily surpass all current expectations.

Without wanting to over-state the potential, triploid cannabis seeds could well be an even more significant event than the introduction of feminised seeds.

Some of the current research, whilst still awaiting confirmation, hints at some possibly revolutionary improvements. Watch this space for more.

What is Triploid cannabis?

Cannabis is normally diploid, with two sets of chromosomes. But triploidy (3 sets of chromosomes) and even tetraploid (4 sets of chromosomes, 2 female & 2 male) are possible, more so in plants than animals. Triploid cannabis could be created by crossing diploid and tetraploid parents. This was the approach taken to create the modern banana.

It’s important to add that the triploid product being grown (bananas, fruits or potentially cannabis) is fundamentally the same product. A triploid banana tastes the same (or better) than a seeded banana and the final product convenience/value is significantly higher. The plant structure is similar. The only change is the chromosome count.

As well as conferring sexual sterility (meaning no seeded crops ever), triploid genetics tend to be very stable with yield enhancements and quality improvements. Therefore, for any cannabis seed breeder considering creating triploid cannabis genetics it makes most sense to combine the triploid breeding process with truly elite genetics, maximising the inherent yield/quality enhancements that triploid can deliver.

Remember that use of triploid breeding to deliver superior yields & quality is common practice in agriculture and has been so for decades. As well as bananas, seedless watermelons and other fruits have also been created.

Is triploid cannabis GMO?
No. A triploid is a genetic manipulation that confers sexually sterility. Genetically manipulated crops include seedless bananas, watermelons, blueberries and others - all perfectly safe to consume. Though unusual, triploid does occur naturally in plants and to a lesser extent in animals/animal cells.

How do triploid cannabis genetics work?

It is thought that reason triploidy is seen in natural plant settings is due to crossing of the occasional naturally occurring tetraploid plant with the normal diploid version. A tetraploid (4 chromosomes pairs) crossed with a diploid (2 chromosome pairs) produces a triploid (3 chromosome pairs).

Once created, the resulting triploid plant is infertile but if humans are around to propagate it (via cuttings/clones) then the triploid will survive. Especially if the triploid has delivered useful benefits, such as seedless harvests which grow faster and larger.

The increased triploid growth rates are thought to be due to the lower energy requirements for gonadal development (especially in females, crucial for cannabis growers).

In simple terms, this means that the reduced cellular energy requirements for triploids allows plant biochemistry to be greatly accelerated. It’s difficult to say what the yield increases could be for cannabis grown from triploid seeds, but many industry insiders hope for around a 15-25% like-for-like improvement. Possibly much more.

Why triploid cannabis strains could be a game-changer

The cannabis industry is characterised by end-products that are both premium priced and in constant high demand. Whether that is cannabis buds or cannabis concentrates, shatter or cannabis oil - public consumption has never been higher.

The home grower seeks fast, convenient strains that deliver reliably high-quality results. The commercial grower seeks much the same with added guarantees on strain stability and more anxieties about inadvertent crop-seeding. It’s these demands that has made the cannabis industry so quick to react when it comes to new genetics, such as feminised seeds or autoflower seeds.

Could triploid cannabis seeds be the next revolution for cannabis growers?

In the 1990’s, the arrival of photoperiod feminised seed technology quickly made regular cannabis seeds more-or-less obsolete, other than for a small remaining niche representing just 1-2% of buyers.

In the ‘noughties’ (2000-2010), the first autoflowering cannabis seeds became available. These improved rapidly and eventually became game-changers, accounting for around half of all cannabis seeds sold. This made autoflower seeds as popular as photoperiod feminised seeds.

So if/when the first triploid cannabis seeds become available, they are also likely to have a significant impact/disruption on the cannabis market.

Especially if some of the early indicators from the labs live up to expectations, particularly regarding the consistent potency & yield improvements. Research has shown that maximum growth vigour is associated with the triploid state, especially in female organisms.

More stable cannabis genetics

With naturally faster growth rates a triploid cannabis strain shouldn’t suffer from as many rogue smaller phenotypes. Instead, it’s more likely that the seedlings and young plants grow at similar rates with less stunted growth.

It’s very early days for triploid cannabis genetics, no commercial strains have been released yet. But many hope that triploidy will mean more consistency and better stability for cannabis growers.

Infertile, seedless cannabis plants

With three sets of chromosomes, a triploid cannabis variety is inherently infertile and suffers from reproductive failure because the odd number of chromosomes makes onward fertilisation impossible. That’s because the normal 1:1 chromosome pairing of male-to-female chromosomes during reproduction is impossible with the odd numbers of 3 chromosomes in a triploid.

In general agriculture, anyone wanting to create seedless products has to do so either by using triploid genetics or by growing in the absence of male pollen.

Probably more valuable for the commercial grower (with hundreds of plants to care for), infertile cannabis genetics will allow thousands of pro-growers to sleep easier on a night knowing that their crop will never be seeded, even with unidentified rogue males shedding pollen in copious quantities nearby.

For the home grower with the time to tend to each plant individually, seedless cannabis plants will perhaps be of somewhat lesser benefit. But it’s still a major improvement in convenience and peace-of-mind.

More THC/cannabinoids/terpenes with triploid cannabis seeds?

This should be possible if the breeders and cannabis geneticists do their job well and produce some stellar genetics available in triploid form. Who knows, a particularly clever team may even be able to produce a heavy yielding, THC-rich triploid strain with added novel cannabinoids which could deliver extra potency. All options are on the table.

Possible higher yields per plant

Because triploidy in general has already been extensively studied there is high confidence that the yield/size improvements seen in other crops and animals (e.g. salmon, trout, molluscs, oysters etc) will also be seen in female cannabis plants.

This should be the case whether plants are grown from triploid photoperiod feminised cannabis seeds or triploid autoflower seeds. Enhanced growth is a fundamental benefit of triploid cell biochemistry which naturally runs at a faster rate due to lower energy requirements.

Triploidy also has some unusual niche applications too. Specially created triploid trout are often introduced to fishing lakes where they grow larger than regular diploid trout. This provides added fun for those that enjoy catching particularly big fish. Anglers may be aware of the famous triploid trout introduced to some of the Washington & Idaho lakes.

Often these specially bred trout (loved by the anglers due to their insane sizes) reach twice the size (or more) of regular trout. Supposed to be caught and returned, the anglers sometimes eat them and claim they taste just as good as regular trout.

Will growers ethically object to triploid cannabis seeds?

Triploid cannabis seeds, if/when they reach commercial release would be classed as a genetic manipulation rather than GMO (genetically modified). Given the enthusiasm with which cannabis growers embraced both feminised seeds and autoflower seeds, it is expected that most will be happy to grow triploid cannabis seeds. Especially if the expected benefits (un-seeded crops, heavier harvests, superior quality) are demonstrated.

Although some may react with initial hesitancy when the concept of triploid cannabis is raised, a quick read of the facts shows that triploid cannabis should raise no more eyebrows than a triploid banana. And most cannabis users wouldn’t think twice about eating an organically grown   banana.

Triploid cannabis seeds may not be with us quite yet, but if/when they make it past the research and development stage, there could be some compelling reasons why you too would want to grow them. Stay tuned to the Dutch Passion blog for the latest news on all things triploid.