In cannabis breeding, crossing hemp with indica is an old-practice to generally avoid legal limitations on THC content. Hemp is legally determined by Canadian and EU orders as having only 0.3 percent of THC content. The Cannabis plants level of species classification is elaborated on the insufficiency of reproductive barriers linking individuals typically described as phenotype plasticity, subspecies, and potent artificial choices for types of drug and fiber plants, in addition to combining cultivated and wild numbers of plants since the olden days. Recently, transcriptomic and genomic differences between recreation/medical cannabis and hemp have been created.
The multiple utilizations of cannabis plants are studied in the important forms in their fiber length, size of their seeds, the height of their stalk, concentrations of their phytochemical, and their sensitivity to the daylight. A lot of these traits, involving those commonly associated with sativa, indica, and ruderalis type plants, might be selected for advancement utilizing traditional and contemporary technologies for cannabis breeding.
Let us know the differences and effects of hemp and cannabis indica so that we will be able to know what will happen when you crossbreed these two.
Hemp and Cannabis: What makes them unique from each other?
You may have knowledge about Cannabis but do you know about Hemp too? Are they both similar? Is hemp a strain of cannabis or can you even smoke it? Is it even legal to smoke hemp? If you are confused and do not know how to answer these questions then maybe we could help you with it. If you have misunderstood the differences between hemp and cannabis then better know what they are and how they are not the same from each other.
Cannabis is also known for the term, Marijuana, and it has two main strains which are the cannabis sativa and cannabis indica. The cannabis sativa has more THC compounds which are responsible for giving users an extensive high effect, while cannabis indica has more CBD compounds which are responsible for giving users a sedative effect. So, it is clear that sativa and indica are the two subspecies of cannabis plants.
Although, hemp and cannabis are from similar species they still have very different uses. Hemp is a strain variety of cannabis sativa. Both strains of cannabis indica and cannabis sativa are mainly utilized for recreational and medicinal purposes. In spite of this, hemp is practically used for industrial applications entirely. So, it is clear here that hemp is a variety of cannabis sativa making hemp and indica different from one another.
Uses and Structure Differences between Hemp and Indica
Cannabis sativa and cannabis indica strains are largely utilized for psychotropic purposes that affect the mental state of a person, in other words, they get high. The utilization of psychotropic can either be medicinal or naturally recreational. Cannabis extracts can be utilized to prepare food if you put the extracts directly. All of these usages, the buds or flowers of cannabis are harvested the most due to their THC contents.
On the contrary, hemp is used mostly for industrial purposes. The most utilized parts of hemp are the seeds and stalk. Hemp is one of the fastest-growing plants and has been utilized as a practical environment-friendly choice in the creation of paper, fabric, litter, insulation, plastic, human food, and even animal feed.
Cannabis indica and hemp (which is a variety of cannabis sativa strains) have very the same physical structures. If you are still a beginner in the cannabis industry, then you may see both as the same but the truth is they are not. The similarities for both indica and hemp are having thin stems and the same patterns of their leaf which normally are about five to seven leaflets. The major difference between these two is their size, while cannabis indica plants are usually short the hemp which is part of cannabis sativa plants can grow up to two meters in height.
Legality and THC Concentrations between Hemp and Indica
Cannabis sativa and cannabis indica are both categorized as drugs, which makes hemp a type of drug too. The reason for this is that they have THC concentrations, however, THC content in Hemp is near to no importance due to having a small amount of it. Nowadays, both varieties of cannabis are now legal in some states. Cannabis indica is good to use for medicinal and recreational purposes, while hemp is legal for research and industrial usage.
Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC is a compound that can be found in cannabis that brings psycho-active effects to users. This is the thing that gets users high once they smoke or consume it. With regards to potency, the normal amounts reach from ten to twenty-five percent. Hemp only has a very low content of THC, commonly less than one percent. Hemp has a very small amount of psychoactive uses, so no matter how much of hemp you ingest you just cannot get high with it.
Conclusion
Sativa and indica are the two major strains of cannabis, while hemp is one of the varieties of cannabis sativa. Despite the fact that cannabis and indica come from similar species, they are still used differently. Both cannabis sativa and cannabis indica are utilized for recreational and medicinal purposes, on the other hand, hemp is utilized for industrial purposes.
Crossbreeding hemp and indica would seriously lessen the potency of indica. However, those who cultivate hemp do not want indica to be cross-pollinating with hemp nor increase the THC content of their hemp. It will also be a big problem for cannabis indica growers to crossbreed these two because of the amount of money for producing and the worth of selling medical and recreational cannabis.
The female cannabis plants make buds that growers develop for their THC content. However, if the male hemp plants (which are produced for their fibers) are planted closely to female cannabis indica, then the hemp can cross-pollinate cannabis indica plants. This will generate them to seed and influence the THC contents and their yield through genetic information sharing.
