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The open database for landrace cannabis populations, their genetics and the traditional knowledge that sustains them.
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ZOM-IND-HIM-1020220018
Atolang General Population 2022 is a landrace cannabis accession documented by the Zomia Collective in India.
Sex determination in cannabis
Sex determination in cannabis is the genetic and developmental process that establishes whether a Cannabis plant develops as male, female, or, in some cultivated forms, monoecious. Cannabis is normally dioecious: pollen-bearing (male) and seed-bearing (female) flowers form on separate individuals, and sex is set by a pair of heteromorphic sex chromosomes. Females carry two X chromosomes (XX) and males an X and a Y (XY), so the male is the heterogametic sex and the Y is transmitted only through pollen.
Chromosomal sex, fixed at fertilisation, is distinct from sex expression: the male or female character of the flowers a plant actually produces. Sex expression is labile: hormonal, chemical and environmental signals can shift a plant toward the opposite sex's flowers without altering its chromosomes, and a genetically female (XX) plant induced to shed pollen transmits only X-bearing gametes.
The distinction is central to cannabis cultivation and breeding. Because cannabinoids accumulate chiefly in the unpollinated female inflorescence, drug-type and cannabinoid-hemp crops are grown as all-female stands; monoecious cultivars underpin uniform fibre and seed hemp; and reliable early identification of a plant's chromosomal sex, before flowers appear, is a routine breeding and roguing task. For dioecious landrace populations, the obligate outcrossing that dioecy enforces also shapes mating structure and the maintenance of genetic diversity. read more →
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We are witnessing the rapid disappearance of traditional cultivation knowledge and genetic diversity in cannabis. These landrace populations represent thousands of years of natural and human selection, containing unique genetic traits and chemical profiles. Systematic documentation and conservation efforts can serve as a bridge, preserving irreplaceable genetic heritage while supporting traditional communities and advancing our understanding of this remarkable plant.
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30 July 2026
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