Exogenously Applied Gibberellic Acid Alters Cannabinoid Profile in Cannabis sativa L

Jackson M. J. Oultram; Joseph L. Pegler; Andrew L. Eamens; Rebecca Gordon; Darren J. Korbie; Christopher P. L. Grof

doi:10.3390/agronomy14102417

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Exogenously Applied Gibberellic Acid Alters Cannabinoid Profile in Cannabis sativa L

Jackson M. J. Oultram, Joseph L. Pegler, Andrew L. Eamens, Rebecca Gordon, Darren J. Korbie and Christopher P. L. Grof

Agronomy, Vol.14(10), pp.1-14

2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14102417

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Abstract

Cannabis sativa L. (Cannabis)

glandular trichomes

cannabinoid biosynthesis

phytohormones

cytokinin (CK)

gibberellic acid (GA)

jasmonic acid (JA)

Cannabis sativa (C. sativa L.) has garnered significant attention worldwide due to its widespread use as a pharmaceutical agent. With the increasing clinical application of C. sativa and cannabinoid therapeutics, there is strong interest in the development of superior plant varieties and optimisation of growth conditions to enhance secondary metabolite yield. Our RNA sequencing analysis revealed differential expression of hormone-related transcripts in developing C. sativa trichomes, suggesting the involvement of hormone signalling pathways in cannabinoid production. Leveraging the potency of exogenous hormones on plants, this study sought to determine if the application of cytokinin (CK), gibberellic acid (GA) and jasmonic acid (JA) modified trichome morphology and the cannabinoid profile over an 8-week period following the induction of flowering. Exogenous hormone application led to alterations in trichome morphology, with each treatment significantly reducing trichome head width by the final week of assessment. Interestingly, GA application also resulted in a significant reduction in the concentration of Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) by week 8 post floral induction, however, JA and CK treatment did not consistently modulate the accumulation of these cannabinoids. The minor cannabinoids, cannabidivaranic acid (CBDVA), cannabicyclolic acid (CBLA), cannabicyclol (CBL), cannabichromene (CBC), cannabigerolic acid (CBGA) and cannabigerol (CBG), were also affected by hormone treatments, with varying degrees of accumulation observed. These findings underscore the intricate interplay between phytohormones and secondary metabolite biosynthesis in C. sativa. Our study highlights the potential of hormone modulation as a strategy to enhance cannabinoid yield and offers some insights into the regulatory mechanisms governing cannabinoid biosynthesis in C. sativa trichomes.

Details

Title: Exogenously Applied Gibberellic Acid Alters Cannabinoid Profile in Cannabis sativa L
Authors: Jackson M. J. Oultram (Corresponding Author) - University of Newcastle Australia
Joseph L. Pegler - University of Newcastle Australia
Andrew L. Eamens - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - Biomedicine
Rebecca Gordon - The University of Sydney
Darren J. Korbie - The University of Queensland
Christopher P. L. Grof - University of Newcastle Australia
Publication details: Agronomy, Vol.14(10), pp.1-14
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date published: 2024
DOI: 10.3390/agronomy14102417
ISSN: 2073-4395
Copyright note: © 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Data Availability: The raw sequencing data supporting the conclusions of this article are currently forming the basis of another study and as such will be made available by the authors on request.
Organisation Unit: School of Health - Biomedicine
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991066742002621
Output Type: Journal article

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