Aeroponic cannabis plant roots vs. soil grown roots

Cannabis sativa L. is a dioecious herbaceous plant that belongs to the botanical family of the Cannabaceae. This plant originates from Central Asia and has served humans as food and medicine for many centuries. In addition, Cannabis sativa L. is also used for its fiber and psychoactive properties.

In Cannabis sativa (C. sativa), two subspecies have been identified; C. sativa subsp. indica and C. sativa subsp. sativa. C. sativa subsp. indica is known to contain more than 20% D9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive compound in cannabis. On the other hand, C. sativa subsp. sativa contains less than 20% THC but has numerous bioactive molecules.

Today is C. sativa subsp. sativa is now grown legally and generally for the production of cannabidiolic acid and cannabidiol (CBDs) in several European countries. CBDs are the most abundant non-psychoactive cannabinoid and a formidable source of nutrients like carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, lipids and so on.

Each part of the cannabis plant has its unique uses and properties. However, it hasn’t received much attention lately, despite having tremendous medical potential.

Cannabis roots

In the past, C. sativa roots have been used as a medicine to treat joint pain, inflammatory diseases, gout, and more. However, the therapeutic potentials of cannabis roots have largely been ignored by modern society. Few studies have just looked at the medicinal potential and composition of C. sativa roots. Even fewer studies have looked at alternative methods of producing cannabis roots.

This lack of interest in cannabis roots can be attributed to the fact that scientists are focusing more on common cannabinoids. And these cannabinoids are not significantly present in cannabis roots. To fill this gap, there is an approach to growing cannabis roots using aeroponics.

Aeroponics

Aeroponics is a growing method that allows plants to grow in a tightly controlled environment with no soil or contamination. Aeroponics is a method of growing plants that was chosen because it offers higher root production than traditional soil. In addition, aeroponics offers further advantages, as time-consuming and expensive flushing processes are no longer necessary. The flushing process is usually required in traditional procedures to isolate cannabis roots.

To this end, it is believed that aeroponics offers higher production of cannabis roots. The culture system also provides a greater yield of secondary bioactive metabolites.

Cannabis roots grown with aeroponics

A study was carried out by Fabio Ferrini et al. (2021) to determine the growth of cannabis roots in aeroponics. It has been discovered that aeroponics promotes more intense and faster growth in the root system and in the above-ground part of cannabis compared to the traditional approach.

After 8 weeks of parallel cultivation, aeroponic cultivated cannabis roots showed the following:

• 13 times and 64 times higher dry weight (DW) and fresh weight (FW) compared to the soil

The aerial part, stem and leaves of aeroponically grown cannabis also showed a significant difference from that of the ground.

Among the bioactive components of the main root, campesterol, phytosterols, beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol and triterpenes (Fridelin and Epi-Friedelanol) were identified as the main components. However, based on the experiment, the amount of bioactive material was higher in the conventional soil-cultivated cannabis roots.

In terms of individual components, Friedelin and Epi-Friedelanol were much higher in soil-grown cannabis roots than in aeroponics. The amount of stigmasterol and campesterol was the same in both media. Beta-sitosterol in aeroponics has also been found to contain a larger amount compared to soil.

With the use of different chemicals and reagents and different analytical techniques and methods, this experiment further confirms what is already known. The cannabis root lacks THC and CBD, which are the most important compounds for the pharmaceutical industry. Nonetheless, the experiment has shed further light on the chemistry and production of cannabis roots.

Findings from the experiment

As mentioned earlier, the experiment showed that campesterol, phytosterols, beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol and triterpenes (Fridelin and Epi-Friedelanol) are the main bioactive components of cannabis roots. However, the relative proportion of each ingredient varies between culture media (soil and aeroponics).

The experiment further proves that there is a significant change in the biomass of aeroponic cannabis. These differences relate to the relative and net abundance of bioactive compounds compared to soil-grown cannabis.

It can also be deduced from the experiment that a robust root system does not lead to a robust air system. However, it was found that both the air- and root system aeroponics-cultivated cannabis was heavier and larger than that of soil. From this it can be concluded that the growth differences are due to the culture medium.

From a pharmaceutical point of view, this study proves that aeroponics is an ideal cultivation method for medicinal root plants. Plants like ginger and murdock are easy to plant and harvest using the aeroponics culture method. Another advantage of aeroponics is that the culture medium can be precisely and easily enriched with elicitors in order to further increase the production of bioactive substances.

Benefits of cannabis roots

Although CBD is rarely found in cannabis roots, it is made up of valuable compounds with nutraceutical, cosmetic and pharmaceutical properties. Friedelin, for example, a pentacyclic triterpenoid, shows a broad spectrum of anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic and antipyretic effects with low toxicity. Epi-Friedelanol is also known for its anti-cancer, anti-aging, and anti-inflammatory properties.

Some of the benefits of cannabis roots include

• Protection of the liver through Friedelin’s hepatoprotective (liver-protecting) properties.

• Promotion of healthy cell membranes. The choline present in cannabis roots is responsible for this.

• Tribe-specific treatment options

• Soothe irritated, burned or inflamed skin

• Cancer Cell Eradication

Bottom line

While cannabis roots are not in the amount that CBD pharmaceutical companies are looking for, its main ingredients are used for complementary biological activities. This leads to a synergistic effect that could be used as a treatment for various physiopathological and pathological conditions. As a result, C. sativa, bred using aeroponics, is a valuable material for the cannabis industry as a whole.

MORE ABOUT AEROPONIC GROW, READ THIS …

WHAT AEROPONIC CANNABIS GROWS READ THIS FIRST!

OR..

THE GUIDE TO GROWING HYDROPONIC MARIJUANA (BEGINNERS)