About This Project

Microbes associated with the roots of plants are known to support, and in some cases, enhance, the growth of many agriculturally important crops. We understand little about the specific microbiomes in soil used to grow cannabis. This project aims to characterize these communities, and apply the results to help grow the healthiest plants imaginable: supporting patients who rely heavily on the medicinal uses of cannabis, and to develop biotechnology in our state.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

Microbes colonize all living things to form complicated communities - 'microbiomes'. Because these microbial communities exist in a naturally acquired state of equilibrium, they are inherently robust. But, microbes can become sick, affected and altered by many different things - and when the microbiome is altered, this often has an impact on it's life-form/environment. For plants, this is particularly true of the microbial communities found in soil. Mutually beneficial plant-microbe symbioses play a crucial role in sustainable crop production - for many plants, scientists know something about how their relationships with microbes develop, and how they contribute to crop health and productivity. Our research program examines these factors for cannabis specifically.

What is the significance of this project?

Plants are the oldest form of medicine. The medicinal use of sacred plants has been practiced by indigenous cultures with astonishing success for hundreds of years. The scientific use of plant medicine in the treatment of afflictions such as depression, PTSD, and addiction in western models of medicine is nascent, but growing momentum.

Cannabis, in particular, is an enigmatic plant, with, potentially, a lot to offer humans in the way of medicine. While we are currently unable to study the plant itself, here in New Mexico where cannabis is approved for medicinal use, we can help by providing growers with the information necessary to produce the healthiest plants possible. Healthy plants leads to the best quality medicine, and, hopefully, validation.

What are the goals of the project?

We want to characterize the soil microbiome associated with cannabis plants (strains, grow conditions, etc), in line with these suggestions. This starts by identifying the groups of microbes that are present across of range of different plants: e.g. sick, healthy, indoors, outdoor. We're also tracking changes in soil microbe community from the start of plant growth cycles until harvest! Characterizing the plants involves collecting soil from the roots and around the roots of the plant. Large-scale DNA sequencing of marker genes relating to bacteria and fungi will allow us to genetically 'fingerprint' our soil communities. Then, we'll collate this information and categorize how microbes associate across all the different plants.