Marijuana strains are either pure breeds or hybrid varieties of Cannabis, typically of the species C. indica or C. sativa. Strains are developed to highlight a specific combination of properties of the plant or to establish marketing differentiation. Strain names are typically chosen by their growers, and often reflect properties of the plant, such as taste, color, smell, or the origin of the strain.
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A strain may refer ambiguously to different forms of cannabis:
Additionally, black market Cannabis dealers may distribute marijuana that is misleadingly called by a strain name. For example, Skunk and G13 may be used, but a lower grade may actually be sold.
The Cannabis genus is typically considered to have two species, Cannabis indica and Cannabis sativa.[1] A third species known as Cannabis ruderalis differs from the other two species in a few key ways. C. ruderalis is very short, produces only trace amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and flowers independently of the photoperiod and according to age.[2]
Pure sativas are relatively tall (reaching as high as 4.5 meters), with long internodes and branches, and large, narrow-bladed leaves. Pure indica strains are shorter and bushier, have wider leaflets, and are often favored by indoor growers. Sativas bloom later than indicas, often taking a month or two longer to mature. The subjective effects of sativas and indicas are said to differ, but the ratio of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to cannabidiol (CBD) in most named drug strains of both types is similar (averaging about 200:1). Unlike most commercial drug strains, indica landraces often consist of a mixture of plants with varying THC/CBD ratios.[3] The relatively high CBD to THC ratio typical of hashish produced in regions where these landraces are grown (including Afghanistan and Pakistan) is useful for treating insomnia.[4]
In addition to "pure" indica, sativa, and ruderalis strains, hybrids strains with varying ratios of these three types are common. For example, the White Widow hybrid is purported to have about 60% "indica," and 40% "sativa" genetics. These hybrid strains have combinations of traits derived from both parental types. There are also commercial cross-bred hybrids which contain a mix of both ruderalis, indica and/or sativa genes (these hybrids are usually called autoflowering strains). "Lowryder" is the most famous auto-flowering hybrid and retains the auto-flowering characteristic of ruderalis plants, while also producing usable amounts of THC/CBD. Auto-flowering marijuana strains are considered advantageous by some growers due to their discreet size, short growing periods, and the fact that they do not rely on a change in light schedule to determine when to flower.[5]
Strains are often named by the breeder or grower to differentiate one from another. In competitive legal markets, such as in Amsterdam, there is significant pressure to create unique strains that dominate the market. This results in a number of distinct strain names that may refer to very similar cannabis.
Likewise, when a strain becomes popular, many breeders and growers may produce variations of the same strain using the same or similar name.
Breeding involves pollinating a female cannabis plant with male pollen. This will happen naturally. However, the intentional creation of new strains typically involves selective breeding in a controlled environment.
Often male plants, once identified by their ball-like stamen, will be separated from female flowers. This prevents accidental fertilization of the female plants, either to facilitate sinsemilla flowering or to provide more control over which male is chosen. Pollen produced by the male is caught and stored until it is needed.
The seeds produced by a germinated female will be F1 hybrids of the male and female. These offspring will not be identical to their parents. Instead, they will have characteristics of both parents. Advanced techniques can stabilize certain characteristics.
A common technique to stabilize a cannabis strain is called "cubing", in which the breeder will seek specific traits in the hybrid offspring (e.g. greater resin production, tighter node spacing, etc.) and breed said offspring with a parent plant. The same traits are sought in the new inbred offspring, which are then again bred with the original parent plant. This process is called cubing because it usually repeated across three (or possibly more) generations before a strain can be considered at least somewhat stable.
Seed shops sell both pure strains that have specific aspects stabilized as well as unstabilized hybrids that may be of questionable quality.
Most cannabis strains used today in North America are asexually propagated Sativa strains, that were bred hydroponically to produce large amounts of "bud".
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