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Forbes
21-05-2025
- Science
- Forbes
Far-Red Light Boosts THC In Some Cannabis Strains And Lowers Energy Use, Study Finds
growing marijuana with LED phyto lighting. purple cannabis leaves. Far-red lights can improve yield and the quality of specific cannabis strains, and reduce energy costs and carbon emissions amid energy-intensive cannabis cultivation, according to a new study. Published in Nature this week, this Australian government-funded study, conducted by researchers from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and Southern Cross University, analyzed whether the daily light period to which cannabis plants were exposed could be shortened from 12 to 10 hours by supplementing with far-red light, without sacrificing plant yield or cannabinoid content. The findings suggest that far-red light treatments sometimes enhanced cannabinoid yield in specific strains and, when paired with a 10-hour light schedule, offered about 5.5% energy savings. This would be significant for high-consuming cannabis farming. Cannabis growers in the U.S. use about 1% of the country's total energy, which is more than cryptocurrency mining and all other crops combined, according to a recent study. Far-red light, which sits just beyond the visible spectrum, naturally occurs in sunlight during the early hours of the morning, late in the afternoon, and in shaded spots. Plants have evolved to recognize this kind of light as a cue that they may be shaded by other plants, prompting them to grow taller in search of more sunlight. When far-red light is paired with regular red or white light, it doesn't just trigger growth, but it also enhances photosynthesis. This effect, known as the Emerson enhancement effect, highlights how plants can make more efficient use of different light wavelengths when they work in combination. The research team explored several lighting schedules across three cannabis strains: Cannatonic, known for its high CBD content, and Hindu Kush and Northern Lights, both rich in THC. They compared a traditional 12-hour light cycle with a shortened 10-hour version, along with variations where far-red light was introduced, either at the end of the light phase, the start of the dark phase, or both. In addition to observing changes in plant height, they measured total biomass, which included flowers, leaves, and stems, and analyzed the concentration of various cannabinoids. The results showed that adding far-red light made all the cannabis plants grow taller, especially when the light was used at the end of the day or both before and after lights-off. In some strains, like Cannatonic and Hindu Kush, far-red light combined with a full 12-hour light cycle increased the total weight of the plants, but most of that extra weight came from leaves and stems, not flowers. In fact, flower weight decreased in these cases. The way cannabinoids responded also depended on the strain. Cannatonic had the highest levels of CBD and THC when grown under a regular 12-hour light cycle or when far-red light was added at both ends of the day, but this did not lead to a clear increase in the total amount of cannabinoids per plant, and flower size often dropped. Hindu Kush showed some THC increases with far-red light, especially when it was used both before and after the lights went off. Northern Lights performed better using far-red light right after the main lights turned off, as it led to a strong boost in THC and a 70% increase in total cannabinoid yield compared to the regular light schedule. Researchers, therefore, suggest that growers could increase the potency of these specific cannabis strains while reducing lighting time and carbon footprint by using far-red light. As these effects were seen only in specific cannabis strains, growers should test for themselves whether far-red light works on other strains. Nevertheless, the use of far-red light could potentially help reduce the carbon footprint and make cannabis growing more sustainable, while also maintaining or even boosting yield and quality, and reducing energy costs. 'These findings have significant implications for the cannabis industry, specifically for energy consumption, with electricity being a significant cost for cultivation. Consequently, the preference is to achieve productivity improvements without extending, and ideally reducing, the duration of the artificial lighting period,' the study reads. This is not the first time that the use of far-red light in farming has been studied. Some research shows that its use produced taller cannabis plants but decreased yields, while another study on far-red light in lettuce cultivation showed that intermittent supplementation of far-red light accelerated leaf and bud development, leading to increased yields. This study is in line with others that have analyzed the use of far-red light when growing cannabis. Some research shows that its use produced taller cannabis plants but decreased yields, while others have found that using far-red light in cannabis farming increased plant height but also decreased both flowering and the concentrations of cannabinoids like CBD, THCVA, CBGA, and terpenes in the flowers, compared to a high red-light ratio.
ABC News
16-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Queensland lab works on breeding perfect Aussie mango
Peak mango season may be over, but inside a Brisbane lab, scientists are still working to breed the perfect Australian mango. Asjad Ali leads a Queensland Department of Primary Industries breeding program, which began in the 1960s, initially gathering wild cultivars from Indonesia, Malaysia and India. The program has collected more than 350 varieties from across the globe and planted them in experimental plots in Far North Queensland. "Mostly they fruit every year, and we assess them in the lab." Part of the assessment is led by consumer intelligence lead Philippa Lyons, who coordinates a group of trained sensory experts to evaluate meticulously prepared mangoes. "There's a very specific method about preparation, but also eating," Ms Lyons said. Ms Lyons explained how the mouth processed taste and flavour and why the combination was so important. She said tiny compounds called volatiles were responsible for a fruit's aroma. "It's the mixture of what you can taste plus those aromatic volatiles in your mouth that create flavour and textures — plus that sweet-acid balance — are really what's driving a lot of consumer liking." Detailed and confidential recording is vital to determine which fruit will pass the taste test. "You can look at an individual fruit, but actually there's a lot more complexity to it," Ms Lyons said. "And we're digging into that to support the breeding programs." There have been numerous sensory trials since 2023 to identify the preferred attributes of mangoes. Sensory panellists are specially selected, and many have worked with the Department of Primary Industries' tasting trials for years. "When we first employ them, they're screened for their acuity, their ability to describe things and discern different flavours and texture profiles," Ms Lyons said. The tasters focus on appearance and texture. Long-term tester Tamami Kawasaki said she enjoyed the work. "It's interesting, but there's also a good reason," she said. Fellow panellist Tina Belovic noted the panel's impact on the introduction of new produce. Ms Lyons also runs broader consumer panels made up of regular mango buyers. "I might need mango consumers, mums and dads who are buying mangoes three to four times a week," she said. "Sensory panellists keep their opinions to themselves. And consumers, I want to know what they like and what they dislike." Dr Ali's breeding program focuses on more than just flavour. His team is also selecting for traits like tree size and disease resistance. They cross different mango varieties, then grow and test the progeny, meaning the offspring of those parent plants. "For example, the creeper is a very small fruit. The beauty of the creeper is it's a dwarf tree." "It has a very high yield of fruit, which is not good in itself. But what we use in the breeding program is dwarfness because the big trees are not easy to handle for the future mechanisation," he said. Disease resistance is also crucial. An Indonesian mango variety, Mangifera laurina, is being trialled to introduce this trait. "We crossed it with the Kensington Pride and developed a progeny and we are assessing that progeny against disease resistance … to see how much resistance these progeny show," he said. Dr Ali said isolating traits was hard. A new variety can take at least 25 years to develop and grow. Dr Ali's team has had notable success with Yess!, Aha! and Now! mango varieties, which are now in full production. "I think genetics wise, we are among the top two or three countries which are putting effort in the mango breeding program," he said. Watch ABC TV's Landline at 12:30pm AEST on Sunday or on ABC iview.
