Affiliation:
1. Département de Phytologie, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.
2. Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada.
Abstract
Although cannabis is legalized and accepted as an agricultural commodity in many places around the world, a significant lack of public germplasm repositories remains an unresolved problem in the cannabis industry. The acquisition, preservation, and evaluation of germplasm, including landraces and ancestral populations, is key to unleashing the full potential of cannabis in the global marketplace. We argue here that accessible germplasm resources are crucial for long-term economic viability, preserving genetic diversity, breeding, innovation, and long-term sustainability of the crop. We believe that cannabis restrictions require a second look to allow genebanks to play a fuller and more effective role in conservation, sustainable use, and exchange of cannabis genetic resources.
Publisher
Canadian Science Publishing
Subject
Genetics,Molecular Biology,General Medicine,Biotechnology