Effects of Pulsed Light Spectra on Cannabinoid Accumulation in Thai Cannabis sativa L. ‘Hang Kra Rog Phu Phan ST1’
Keywords:
Callus, Cannabinoid, LED light, Pulsed light spectra, Tissue cultureAbstract
Light is a very important component in indoor closed systems for medical cannabis production. In this research, we study a pulsed light spectral system that was established to stimulate the accumulation of the medically important compounds THC and CBD of Thai cannabis plants ‘Hang Kra Rog Phu Phan ST1’. The cannabis callus used for the experiment was induced from cannabis saplings using 5 mg/L of 2,4-D MS agar medium, which was grown in a pulsed light incubator in a sterile condition. The developed pulsed light system consisted of a wavelength spectrum of 380 nm to 750 nm, and the amount of average photon flux density (PFDavg) in the range of 350 –880 nm was between 112.4 μmol·m-2·s-1 and 604.8 μmol·m-2·s-1 which falls within the range of light intensities essential for stimulating THC and CBD production. The results have indicated that pulse frequencies of 50 Hz, 150 Hz, 400 Hz and continuous frequencies can stimulate accumulation of THC 1.66, 3.02, 3.80 and 11.11 ng/g callus and CBD 3.34, 3.37, 5.00 and 7.10 ng/g callus, respectively. In addition, pulsed light of 150 Hz at its duty cycle of 25%, 50% and 75% stimulated THC accumulation of 3.15, 3.02 and 5.55 ng/g callus and CBD 3.78, 3.37 and 4.06 ng/g callus, respectively. These results indicate that this pulsed light system can stimulate the accumulation of the medically important metabolites THC and CBD in cannabis calluses. The proposed research would offer the greatest benefits in medical cannabis production and pulsed light spectrum innovation.
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