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The Effect of Electrical Lighting Power and Irradiance on Indoor‐Grown Cannabis Potency and Yield
Author(s) -
Potter David J.,
Duncombe Paul
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/j.1556-4029.2011.02024.x
Subject(s) - potency , irradiance , sodium vapor lamp , horticulture , yield (engineering) , botany , chemistry , biology , environmental science , materials science , physics , optics , biochemistry , metallurgy , in vitro
The floral development and potencies [Δ 9 ‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) contents] of cannabis plants were compared when grown indoors under high‐pressure sodium lamps consuming electrical power at three densities (270, 400, and 600 W/m 2 ). After a 3‐week vegetative phase, plants were grown for 8 weeks, with lamps maintaining an artificial day length of 12 h. Foliar and floral yields were measured. Gas chromatography was used to measure the content of the psychoactive cannabinoid THC. Mean yields per unit of electrical power in each lighting regime ranged from 0.9 to 1.6 g/W, the highest being achieved in the lowest irradiance regime. The individual potencies of the separated leaf and flower materials were not affected by increasing irradiance. However, there was a corresponding increase in the overall potency of the aerial plant tissue. This was because of the plants in brighter conditions producing a higher proportion of floral material.