MJBizMag March 2023 - 45

characteristics, " Indest said. " It's a very
inefficient process. "
Indest said he is using " molecular
tools " to reduce both the time and
space needed to carry out pheno hunts.
How long it takes also depends
on whether they grow the plants all
the way to flower and if that flower
is processed into products such as
concentrates and vape oils to examine
the outcomes.
" It depends also on how far down the
supply chain we want to look. Are we
taking this all the way from flower to
finished products, like through a live
rosin or hashing step? Those add to the
timeline and can (provide) valuable
information as we decide what varieties
we may want to grow, " he said.
DESIRED TRAITS
Indest said some of the most critical
data points that Curaleaf tracks
include plant vigor, yield, potency,
processability and how flower handles
the company's harvest and drytrimming
processes. Indest noted that
Curaleaf uses machine trimmers that
can knock trichomes off less resilient
flower strains and degrade the product
in other ways.
" It's important that the flower
can withstand those touches. It's
really identifying how it fits into the
operational flow, " Indest said.
Another example is hermaphrodism,
or when a female plant creates
male pollen.
" That's another reason why we want
to put it through multiple test environments
and cycles, to potentially stress
that plant to make sure that it doesn't
have that characteristic, " Indest said.
" If you select off of a single run,
then it's possible that you didn't see
it. And then when you grow it at the
1,000-plant scale, you'll start to see
male flowers popping up, and now
you've got seeded flower, and that's not
good for anybody, " Indest said.
While characteristics such as
resiliency and yield are priorities for
Cannabis clones grow
at a Curaleaf facility
in Mount Dora,
Florida. Courtesy Photo
most growers, it's important not to
lose sight of consumer trends and
preferences.
" We are working on unique and
desirable sensory profiles to create new
flavors, create new user experiences.
While we are focused on the agronomic
traits that lead to operational
efficiencies, we're also very attentive to
menu diversity and maintaining stuff
that's exciting and new and fresh, "
Indest said.
Strains that have done well include
PB Soufflé, Lady Madonna, Modified
Muffins and Ice Cream Haze, Indest
said.
" They test well, they handle our
processing and they're starting to put
out some very nice extract products
like live rosin that's been launched in
Florida, " Indest said.
Curaleaf's cultivation teams also
reject strains that meet some
criteria-such as aroma or visual
appeal-but fall short in other ways,
including bud density. Strains
that Indest and his team liked but
ultimately didn't make the Curaleaf
roster included Panama and
Trainwreck.
" They didn't fill out on the density
side. And when they went through
the trimming process, the flower was
very loose. But what was really the nail
Curaleaf bred
a strain of
PB Soufflé to
match interest
in sensory
profiles.
Photo by Anthony
Knight-Hill
in the coffin is that even though they
smelled great, the flowers were loose
and they really didn't end up in the jar
very well, " Indest said.
" As a breeder, you're typically
throwing out more than you're
keeping. It's a numbers game, and
you're quickly trying to go from maybe
100 individuals to the top 10%. "
Omar Sacirbey is senior
writer for MJBizMagazine.
You can reach him at omar.
sacirbey@mjbizdaily.com.
mjbizdaily.com | March 2023 45
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