A Canadian industrial hemp plant breeding company with an emphasis on minor cannabinoids has received more than half a million dollars in funding from the AgriScience Program by the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP).
Cannabis Orchards Inc., located in Kemptville, Ontario, recently announced two awards that it says will support its research into the genetic improvement of industrial hemp and the advancement of minor cannabinoid research.
The first grant, for $404,305 from the AgriScience Program, supports Orchards’ project that aims to develop seedless triploid hemp lines for the production of cannabidiol (CBD) and minor cannabinoids such as cannabigerol (CBG) and cannabichromene (CBC).
By developing novel triploid hemp lines, Cannabis Orchards hopes to open new markets and maximize yields and profits for hemp farmers by providing them with hemp varieties capable of delivering minor cannabinoid profiles.
Dr. Jamie Ghossein, CEO of Cannabis Orchards, commented in a company press release, “The potential of minor cannabinoids in therapeutic applications is vast, yet they remain underutilized due to their scarcity. Our research and development efforts are dedicated to unlocking this potential, ultimately providing more effective treatment options for a variety of conditions and opening new commercialization opportunities for farmers and the Canadian cannabinoid industry.”
The second grant is for $196,000 from NRC IRAP, which supports a project focused on developing triploid hemp varieties through polyploidization that will increase biomass yield and cannabinoid content, while reducing the risk of unwanted cross-pollination by rendering plants infertile.
Dr. Ghossein added, “This grant from NRC IRAP is a significant endorsement of our cutting-edge research in polyploidy and hemp trait development. Our project will enable the development of seedless triploid hemp varieties, ensuring higher yields and more consistent quality for farmers and cannabinoid processors. By preventing unwanted pollination and enhancing desirable traits, we are paving the way for the next generation of industrial hemp genetics by maximizing yields for farmers and providing high-quality cannabinoid inputs to processors.”
Both projects began in early 2024 and are expected to conclude by 2026.
The company also recently announced that its hemp cultivar Vendetta has been officially added to the Health Canada List of Approved Cultivars (LOAC) as of August 12, 2024. Orchards says the cultivar is the first hemp variety with a near 1:1 ratio of CBD to CBDV (cannabidivarin), a minor cannabinoid.
The company says Vendetta will be available to licensed hemp growers in Canada as feminized seed starting in Spring 2025, and biomass will be made available to commercial processors in Fall 2025 exclusively through Cannabis Orchards. Cannabis Orchards holds a Good agricultural and collecting practice certification for biomass cultivation.
The company offers an array of hemp biomass on its website, including high CBD, high CBG, high CBDV, and feminized hemp seed.
