TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center (MAM) is working to further reduce the Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC/Marijuana) ratio in domestic hemp varieties. In the project, which will allow farmers to plant hemp plants without worrying about cannabis, the enzyme responsible for the synthesis of THC is being genetically silenced.

THC synthesis is a mechanism that is strongly influenced by climatic conditions. For this reason, even if the seeds of the same cannabis variety are planted in provinces with different climatic conditions, they may have different THC content. In order for cannabis to be cultivated in open fields, the THC content must be below the limit set by law.

The "Cannabis Project" aims to reduce the amount of THC in the cannabis plant by biotechnological methods and to keep this amount constant without being affected by climatic conditions.

New plants are being developed from cannabis leaves with modified DNA

In an interview with Atlas Magazine, Lead Researcher Assoc. Prof. Selma ONARICI, who conducts studies on the molecular genetics of plants at the TÜBİTAK MAM Gene Engineering and Biotechnology Institute (GMBE), said: "Molecular tools that will make targeted changes in cannabis DNA are first designed in bacteria that reproduce easily and quickly. After the studies reach a certain stage, this bacteria is introduced into the plant, that is, the plant is infected with the bacteria. The desired DNA region is then inserted into the plant's own DNA. The work on TÜBİTAK MAM is at this stage. When the plant grows, it will be checked for THC and the activity of all other genes. We aim to stop only the production of cannabis, while all the properties of the plant remain the same. Thus, it will be possible to produce this cannabis variety in the open field in a way that does not pose a security problem."

Hemp has a Wide Range of Uses

Industrial hemp can be used as a raw material in the structure of approximately 25,000 products. Hemp is a valuable raw material for the food, health, feed, textile, construction, automotive, bioenergy, biocomposites and bioplastics sectors. Hemp, all parts of which can be turned into valuable products from root to seed, is a plant that is suitable for the zero waste project as well as for the predictions of the European Green Deal. In our country, it is of great economic importance to revitalize the hemp sector, which existed in the past, with newly developed domestic hemp varieties.