*: These authors contributed equally to this work and should be considered joint first authors
^: for correspondence: susanne.schilling [at] udc.ie; rainer.melzer[at]ucd.ie
Keywords: building materials, Cannabis sativa,
cannabinoids, crop breeding, flower development, flowering time, hemp,
marijuana, sex determination, sustainability
1. Introduction – Cannabis in a nutshell
Cannabis sativa is a highly versatile crop with dozens of
different uses (Figure 1). There are a multitude of medical applications
for Cannabis secondary compounds, which have been shown to
reduce pain, nausea and neurological conditions like seizures
(Whiting et al.,
2015), and research on effects on inflammation, depression and cancer
is also being conducted (Atalay et al., 2019; Fraguas-Sánchez and
Torres-Suárez, 2018; Poleszak et al., 2018; Śledziński et al., 2018,
Russo, 2011). Beyond
that, fibre varieties of Cannabis have high carbon sequestering
potential because of their rapid growth. They are therefore utilized for
carbon storage in building materials or as biofuel
(Finnan and Styles,
2013). For those different reasons, the Cannabis industry is
gaining more traction and the need for specialized varieties, adapted to
local climatic conditions, or suited for specific applications, is
steadily increasing.