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Glass House Farms, FRB Genetics Collaborate on 1:1 Tangelo Flo Cultivar

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Glass House Farms recently launched a new 1:1 cultivar in partnership with FRB Genetics, providing the California cannabis market with a flower product that dials in the THC and CBD ratio pretty evenly. It’s called Tangelo Flo, and it’s finding its way to the market at a time when industry stakeholders and consumers are having in-depth conversations about potency, chemical profiles and minor cannabinoids.

Tangelo Flo offers a balanced cannabinoid profile (a “type-II” chemotype, in parlance that’s making its way into the commercial space, meaning one that features a mixed-ratio cannabinoid profile). Even as high-THC cultivars and products continue to top the sales charts, industry chatter is keen on a more balanced suite of chemicals. That’s where FRB Genetics’ R&D work has taken the team, led by Reggie Gaudino. 

A cross of Green Crack and Cherry Wine, the new cultivar boasts approximately 31% total cannabinoids and a rich, citrus-forward mango flavor. Green Crack is a THC heavyweight, and Cherry Wine is a popular hemp variety.

tangelo flo

Courtesy of FRB Genetics

Tangelo Flo at the Glass House Farms greenhouse.

Front Range Biosciences runs a marker-assisted hemp breeding program, and the Cherry Wine options were fairly limitless for the FRB Genetics team. (FRB Genetics licenses the breeding technology from Front Range Biosciences, which is not a plant-touching company.) Gaudino’s wanted to showcase some of the good work being done on those hemp varieties—and perhaps usher those genetics into the broader adult-use cannabis space.

The Cherry Wine side of the equation posed an interesting challenge, because Gaudino’s team was looking for a high CBD producer that could also remain compliant as a hemp variety (clocking in under 0.3% THC content). That’s no small task. This process involved thousands of seeds and countless hours spent observing the different Cherry Wine plants. They landed on an ideal phenotype, one that brought a robust plant structure and healthy yield to the breeding process with Green Crack’s THC powerhouse lineage.

The parent plants here offered a vitality that would make growers’ jobs much easier—something that’s important when bringing commercial considerations into the breeding process.

“It finishes relatively quickly, so it’s good to work with in a commercial cannabis environment,” Gaudino says.

tangelo flo

 

Tangelo Flo

At Glass House Farms, that commercial cannabis environment spans more than 500,000 square feet of greenhouse space in southern California. Glass House Brands President and Chief Cannabis Officer Graham Farrar says that Tangelo Flo has been a  manageable cultivator—relatively simple to grow, easy on the eyes. More importantly, thought, Farrar is excited to get something like this onto store shelves. He says there’s a broad swath of consumers who are looking for products with this sort of chemical profile.

“Daily, everyday cannabis—I call it the ‘missing middle,’” he says. “We either have connoisseurs—people who have been here for 20 years and they jump through all the hoops and they go to the doctor to get their medical card—or we have the people who just walked in the door and they don’t know, in tequila parlance, 1942 from Jose Cuervo, right? My belief is that the middle is going to show up.”

Lower THC, higher CBD, a more even-keeled ensemble of effects: There’s a certain convenience and simplicity in a cultivar like that. Tangelo Flo is one of the early steps forward into that variation in the cannabis marketplace.

As for what’s next from FRB Genetics? This certainly won’t be the last 1:1 cultivar the team delivers. And Gaudino hints at more to come: “Besides this 1:1, we actually have a number of other 1:1s that are in the pipeline of development, which are based on trying to track down very specific terpene profiles that are very rare in the cannabis industry,” he says.

 

Fluence by OSRAM Reveals Multiyear Global Research Results on Broad-Spectrum Lighting Strategies for Cannabis and Food Crops

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When Denver-based Lightshade and multi-state operator Holistic Industries made the switch from high pressure sodium (HPS) lighting to light-emitting diode (LED) technology in their cannabis cultivation facilities, each operation’s retrofit presented its own set of challenges and lessons learned, but both journeys started with similar reasons for the switch.

Dan Banks, the vice president of cultivation for Lightshade, says he analyzed the total amount of illumination needed at the company’s 20,000-square-foot greenhouse facility and determined that the 336 supplemental HPS lights in the space did not provide enough luminosity.

“You can get more illumination per watt of power used by the LEDs versus traditional HID/HPS lighting,” Banks says. “It’s more bang for your energy buck. For us, it was less about using less energy and more about using the energy more efficiently.”

In the spring of 2020, Lightshade installed roughly 200 of Fluence by OSRAM’s VYPR LED fixtures to complement its HPS lighting, and this past spring, the company commenced replacing all of its HPS lights with 440 additional LED fixtures.

“In terms of selecting the Fluence VYPR, my colleague, Nick [Drury], in his capacity working for MJardin in the past, had done a lot of different trials with LED lights, and he had liked what he had seen with Fluence,” Banks says. “… You know that they’re investing in the further development and R&D of their fixtures, and you know they’re going to support the lighting technology. That was big for us.”

Banks and his team were also impressed by the VYPR’s full spectrum white light, which allows them to increase the light intensity without photo bleaching. In addition, the low-profile VYPR fixture does not block the natural sunlight in Lightshade’s greenhouse.

Nick Denney, cultivation director for Holistic Industries, says energy efficiency also drove his company to make the switch from HPS to LED lighting, as did yield potential.

“The single biggest driver for yield in crops—not just cannabis, but any crop—would be light intensity, or the accumulation of light intensity over a single day,” Denney says. “With HPS bulbs, you can only get so much before you start having some pretty big issues inside your rooms, mainly with heat removal. With LEDs, you can stack them in closer together, you can get them closer to the canopy, and you have … a higher ceiling for light intensity, if that’s your only source of light.”

Safety also played a role in Holistic Industries’ decision to convert its indoor facilities to LEDs.

“HPS [lights] have gas inside of the lamps, so if one of those falls out of the fixture, we could have huge issues, not just for human health for the people inside of the rooms, but the flower that could be contaminated because of it,” Denney says.

In early 2020, Holistic Industries launched R&D on LED lighting in a few rooms of its Washington, D.C., facility, and later that year, the company began installing Fluence’s VYPR LED fixtures in its Pennsylvania and Massachusetts facilities. The company’s Maryland facilities are currently undergoing expansion, and all the new rooms—as well as the old cultivation spaces—will ultimately use the VYPR fixtures. In addition, Holistic Industries is currently building out new facilities in Michigan, Missouri and West Virginia, all of which will have LED lighting.

“Really what it came down to for us was the technical support and science … that [Fluence is] putting into the industry as a whole,” Denney says. “I’ve felt like that was really what set them apart from other lighting vendors. There are other great LEDs out there, but we were looking for a good partner to work with that would scale with us because we’ve been growing extremely fast.”

The Greenhouse Retrofit

Since Lightshade originally supplemented its HPS lights with LED fixtures before converting all of its lighting to LEDs, the company was able to conduct R&D with light intensity to first test the fixtures’ specifications on a smaller scale.

“We saw a pretty immediate jump in yield correlated with the higher lighting intensity,” Banks says. “That did well for us for that year, and so that’s what led to doing the larger project, getting rid of the HPS and expanding that footprint. Since we did that in the spring of this year, we’ve also seen another jump in yield, so it’s been really good for us in the greenhouse.”

Lightshade took advantage of utility rebates to help finance the retrofit, and once the process is complete, Banks says the company will see a rebate of between $250 and $280 per fixture.

Lightshade mapped out the project with its utility company, Xcel Energy, before purchasing the LEDs and continued to work with Xcel through the installation process to monitor the electrical load.

“The big takeaway is you definitely want to engage with the utility, let them know what the project is and get approval for the project before you pull the trigger on buying anything,” Banks says.

Lightshade uses a palletized moving bench system in its greenhouse. So, as the cultivation staff harvested each section, the LED fixtures were installed as quickly as possible before the area was replanted.

“If you’re [retrofitting] a working facility, you’re not taking the facility offline, but you’re leveraging your harvest schedule to install those lights,” Banks says. “You may invariably end up with a few days of missed flowering time and some complications. … There were some logistical hurdles, but we were able to use our harvest cycle as the guiding light for how to plan that install and reduce downtime as much as possible.”

Lightshade operates a padwall-cooled greenhouse, and Banks says the LED fixtures produce less heat than the HPS lights, which equates to fewer hot spots and reduced plant stress.

However, Banks says humidity levels tend to creep up more with LEDs than with HPS fixtures, due in part to denser plants putting more water into the environment.

“The other difference is that we had less heat being generated by the lights because they’re more efficient,” he adds. “What that means is that our HVAC, in some cases, is actually running a little bit less because there’s less heat in the room. When that happens, you don’t have the byproduct of cooling, which is dehumidification. That can lead to a situation where you have a little bit more humidity in the room.”

In addition to adjusting equipment settings to decrease the humidity, Lightshade has also changed its watering practices due to the plants growing larger and requiring more water, especially in late flower, Banks says.

The Indoor Retrofit

Denney says “it was very difficult” to continue Holistic Industries’ indoor cultivation operations while accommodating the contractors installing the LED fixtures.

“We actually had to take a little bit of a hit on some batches because when you’re switching these lights out, they hang lower than the HPS, and they were blocking light over the canopy,” he says. “In some cases, we’re turning HPS lamps off so we can get the electrical switched over. … A lot of credit [goes] to our growers who guided the process and made it happen. And now, you can see there was a slight dip in yields in those batches when we were dancing with the contractors, but then as soon as the LEDs came online, there’s this uptick in growth.”

Just as with Banks and the Lightshade team, Denney and his staff have also noticed less heat coming off the LED fixtures and have tweaked the temperature in the grow rooms, leading to other environmental changes.

“When you increase temperature, it’s all a chain reaction of events,” Denney says. “You change temperature to keep vapor pressure deficit the same, and you’re changing humidity, as well. When you increase light and temperature and humidity, you’re also going to look at increasing your CO2 concentrations, and that’s all part of keeping the plant in balance.”

Environmental controls are also tied to irrigation practices, he adds, and some of Holistic Industries’ cultivars require higher inputs of fertilizer when grown under LEDs.

The Results and Lessons Learned

The biggest limiting factor in cannabis production is often light intensity, Banks says, and by increasing light intensity with the switch to LEDs, Lightshade has seen a corresponding increase in not only yield, but also the overall quality of product.

“The higher lighting intensity has caused things to be a little bit less stretchy—more dense,” he says. “And the floral structure looks really good. We’re also just getting some data right now—so I can’t say anything conclusive—but based off of some of the research we’ve done on all of this, we’re hoping that we’ll see a change in the potency of the product, as well, but it’s too early to tell.”

Denney says Holistic Industries’ plants received 600 to 900 micromoles of light with HPS, but with LEDs, the canopy receives 1500 micromoles of light, which equates to more dry weight of flower at harvest. On average, the company’s yield has doubled since it made the switch to LEDs, Denney says, adding that product quality and overall bag appeal has also improved.

“I’ve noticed different smells coming off of the same plants,” he adds. “I don’t know if it’s just me and my nose, but there are certain plants that I go in and I smell and I think, ‘This smells fruitier than I’m used to. I’ve never had it smell like that.’ Or there was one variety at harvest that just smelled like skunk, and I never had smelled that before from that same plant, and we’ve grown it countless times under HPS. I definitely think there’s something to that.”

The white light of the LEDs also helps Holistic Industries’ cultivation staff get a better view of the plants, which helps them more quickly identify nutrient deficiencies, pests and diseases.

“They’re able to identify and scout in the rooms better, which leads to a more consistent crop,” Denney says.

The LED fixtures also give Holistic Industries more precise control over light intensity, which helps its crop steering efforts.

“With LEDs and the increased light intensity, we’ve gained a lot more control over the plant and pushing it one way or the other, either toward vegetative growth or generative growth, and that’s really important for us because we’re trying to grow a lot of variety,” Denney says. He added that the LED fixtures give the company the needed control to grow craft cannabis at scale.

Banks urges other cultivators looking to convert their facilities to LEDs to think through the timeline of the project and the steps needed to complete the installation.

“That requires bringing together contractors to do the installation and the infrastructure,” he says. “That also means engaging with an electrician … and really laying out a good team and a good plan so you can minimize any downtime at your facility.”

Cultivators should also understand what they want to accomplish through the retrofit, Banks adds. “If you want to save energy, then doing a fixture-for-fixture replacement is really the way to go. If you want to maximize your output, then you look at your current lighting map and then you can ask your LED company you’re working with … to do all that light mapping for you and give you some options.”

Texas Cancer Patients, Those With PTSD Gear Up For Medical Cannabis Access

by

When Denver-based Lightshade and multi-state operator Holistic Industries made the switch from high pressure sodium (HPS) lighting to light-emitting diode (LED) technology in their cannabis cultivation facilities, each operation’s retrofit presented its own set of challenges and lessons learned, but both journeys started with similar reasons for the switch.

Dan Banks, the vice president of cultivation for Lightshade, says he analyzed the total amount of illumination needed at the company’s 20,000-square-foot greenhouse facility and determined that the 336 supplemental HPS lights in the space did not provide enough luminosity.

“You can get more illumination per watt of power used by the LEDs versus traditional HID/HPS lighting,” Banks says. “It’s more bang for your energy buck. For us, it was less about using less energy and more about using the energy more efficiently.”

In the spring of 2020, Lightshade installed roughly 200 of Fluence by OSRAM’s VYPR LED fixtures to complement its HPS lighting, and this past spring, the company commenced replacing all of its HPS lights with 440 additional LED fixtures.

“In terms of selecting the Fluence VYPR, my colleague, Nick [Drury], in his capacity working for MJardin in the past, had done a lot of different trials with LED lights, and he had liked what he had seen with Fluence,” Banks says. “… You know that they’re investing in the further development and R&D of their fixtures, and you know they’re going to support the lighting technology. That was big for us.”

Banks and his team were also impressed by the VYPR’s full spectrum white light, which allows them to increase the light intensity without photo bleaching. In addition, the low-profile VYPR fixture does not block the natural sunlight in Lightshade’s greenhouse.

Nick Denney, cultivation director for Holistic Industries, says energy efficiency also drove his company to make the switch from HPS to LED lighting, as did yield potential.

“The single biggest driver for yield in crops—not just cannabis, but any crop—would be light intensity, or the accumulation of light intensity over a single day,” Denney says. “With HPS bulbs, you can only get so much before you start having some pretty big issues inside your rooms, mainly with heat removal. With LEDs, you can stack them in closer together, you can get them closer to the canopy, and you have … a higher ceiling for light intensity, if that’s your only source of light.”

Safety also played a role in Holistic Industries’ decision to convert its indoor facilities to LEDs.

“HPS [lights] have gas inside of the lamps, so if one of those falls out of the fixture, we could have huge issues, not just for human health for the people inside of the rooms, but the flower that could be contaminated because of it,” Denney says.

In early 2020, Holistic Industries launched R&D on LED lighting in a few rooms of its Washington, D.C., facility, and later that year, the company began installing Fluence’s VYPR LED fixtures in its Pennsylvania and Massachusetts facilities. The company’s Maryland facilities are currently undergoing expansion, and all the new rooms—as well as the old cultivation spaces—will ultimately use the VYPR fixtures. In addition, Holistic Industries is currently building out new facilities in Michigan, Missouri and West Virginia, all of which will have LED lighting.

“Really what it came down to for us was the technical support and science … that [Fluence is] putting into the industry as a whole,” Denney says. “I’ve felt like that was really what set them apart from other lighting vendors. There are other great LEDs out there, but we were looking for a good partner to work with that would scale with us because we’ve been growing extremely fast.”

The Greenhouse Retrofit

Since Lightshade originally supplemented its HPS lights with LED fixtures before converting all of its lighting to LEDs, the company was able to conduct R&D with light intensity to first test the fixtures’ specifications on a smaller scale.

“We saw a pretty immediate jump in yield correlated with the higher lighting intensity,” Banks says. “That did well for us for that year, and so that’s what led to doing the larger project, getting rid of the HPS and expanding that footprint. Since we did that in the spring of this year, we’ve also seen another jump in yield, so it’s been really good for us in the greenhouse.”

Lightshade took advantage of utility rebates to help finance the retrofit, and once the process is complete, Banks says the company will see a rebate of between $250 and $280 per fixture.

Lightshade mapped out the project with its utility company, Xcel Energy, before purchasing the LEDs and continued to work with Xcel through the installation process to monitor the electrical load.

“The big takeaway is you definitely want to engage with the utility, let them know what the project is and get approval for the project before you pull the trigger on buying anything,” Banks says.

Lightshade uses a palletized moving bench system in its greenhouse. So, as the cultivation staff harvested each section, the LED fixtures were installed as quickly as possible before the area was replanted.

“If you’re [retrofitting] a working facility, you’re not taking the facility offline, but you’re leveraging your harvest schedule to install those lights,” Banks says. “You may invariably end up with a few days of missed flowering time and some complications. … There were some logistical hurdles, but we were able to use our harvest cycle as the guiding light for how to plan that install and reduce downtime as much as possible.”

Lightshade operates a padwall-cooled greenhouse, and Banks says the LED fixtures produce less heat than the HPS lights, which equates to fewer hot spots and reduced plant stress.

However, Banks says humidity levels tend to creep up more with LEDs than with HPS fixtures, due in part to denser plants putting more water into the environment.

“The other difference is that we had less heat being generated by the lights because they’re more efficient,” he adds. “What that means is that our HVAC, in some cases, is actually running a little bit less because there’s less heat in the room. When that happens, you don’t have the byproduct of cooling, which is dehumidification. That can lead to a situation where you have a little bit more humidity in the room.”

In addition to adjusting equipment settings to decrease the humidity, Lightshade has also changed its watering practices due to the plants growing larger and requiring more water, especially in late flower, Banks says.

The Indoor Retrofit

Denney says “it was very difficult” to continue Holistic Industries’ indoor cultivation operations while accommodating the contractors installing the LED fixtures.

“We actually had to take a little bit of a hit on some batches because when you’re switching these lights out, they hang lower than the HPS, and they were blocking light over the canopy,” he says. “In some cases, we’re turning HPS lamps off so we can get the electrical switched over. … A lot of credit [goes] to our growers who guided the process and made it happen. And now, you can see there was a slight dip in yields in those batches when we were dancing with the contractors, but then as soon as the LEDs came online, there’s this uptick in growth.”

Just as with Banks and the Lightshade team, Denney and his staff have also noticed less heat coming off the LED fixtures and have tweaked the temperature in the grow rooms, leading to other environmental changes.

“When you increase temperature, it’s all a chain reaction of events,” Denney says. “You change temperature to keep vapor pressure deficit the same, and you’re changing humidity, as well. When you increase light and temperature and humidity, you’re also going to look at increasing your CO2 concentrations, and that’s all part of keeping the plant in balance.”

Environmental controls are also tied to irrigation practices, he adds, and some of Holistic Industries’ cultivars require higher inputs of fertilizer when grown under LEDs.

The Results and Lessons Learned

The biggest limiting factor in cannabis production is often light intensity, Banks says, and by increasing light intensity with the switch to LEDs, Lightshade has seen a corresponding increase in not only yield, but also the overall quality of product.

“The higher lighting intensity has caused things to be a little bit less stretchy—more dense,” he says. “And the floral structure looks really good. We’re also just getting some data right now—so I can’t say anything conclusive—but based off of some of the research we’ve done on all of this, we’re hoping that we’ll see a change in the potency of the product, as well, but it’s too early to tell.”

Denney says Holistic Industries’ plants received 600 to 900 micromoles of light with HPS, but with LEDs, the canopy receives 1500 micromoles of light, which equates to more dry weight of flower at harvest. On average, the company’s yield has doubled since it made the switch to LEDs, Denney says, adding that product quality and overall bag appeal has also improved.

“I’ve noticed different smells coming off of the same plants,” he adds. “I don’t know if it’s just me and my nose, but there are certain plants that I go in and I smell and I think, ‘This smells fruitier than I’m used to. I’ve never had it smell like that.’ Or there was one variety at harvest that just smelled like skunk, and I never had smelled that before from that same plant, and we’ve grown it countless times under HPS. I definitely think there’s something to that.”

The white light of the LEDs also helps Holistic Industries’ cultivation staff get a better view of the plants, which helps them more quickly identify nutrient deficiencies, pests and diseases.

“They’re able to identify and scout in the rooms better, which leads to a more consistent crop,” Denney says.

The LED fixtures also give Holistic Industries more precise control over light intensity, which helps its crop steering efforts.

“With LEDs and the increased light intensity, we’ve gained a lot more control over the plant and pushing it one way or the other, either toward vegetative growth or generative growth, and that’s really important for us because we’re trying to grow a lot of variety,” Denney says. He added that the LED fixtures give the company the needed control to grow craft cannabis at scale.

Banks urges other cultivators looking to convert their facilities to LEDs to think through the timeline of the project and the steps needed to complete the installation.

“That requires bringing together contractors to do the installation and the infrastructure,” he says. “That also means engaging with an electrician … and really laying out a good team and a good plan so you can minimize any downtime at your facility.”

Cultivators should also understand what they want to accomplish through the retrofit, Banks adds. “If you want to save energy, then doing a fixture-for-fixture replacement is really the way to go. If you want to maximize your output, then you look at your current lighting map and then you can ask your LED company you’re working with … to do all that light mapping for you and give you some options.”

Advocates Try Again to Place Medical Cannabis Legalization Measure on Nebraska’s Ballot

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AUSTIN, Texas (Aug. 12, 2021)—PRESS RELEASE—Fluence by OSRAM, a global provider of energy-efficient LED lighting solutions for commercial cannabis and food production, announced today the results from a series of multiyear global studies analyzing the effects of broad-spectrum white light on cannabis, Merlice tomatoes and bell peppers.

The studies found that while spectrum sensitivity is cultivar-dependent, broad-spectrum lighting strategies—which include green light and other wavelengths largely absent in narrow-band spectra—improved crop yield, morphology and overall performance in selected cultivars when compared to narrow-band spectra with high ratios of red and far-red wavelengths.

“The results from our global studies show how effective broad-spectrum white light can be in improving crop performance for many cultivators around the world,” said Dr. David Hawley, principal scientist at Fluence. “Broad-spectrum strategies are about balance and flexibility in the spectrum itself as well as the overall cultivation approach. While there are certain scenarios in which narrow-band spectra, or pink light, may make sense from an energy efficiency or crop production perspective, we’ve found that many cultivars simply perform better under broad spectra across the KPIs cultivators care about most: yield, morphology and overall quality. Our latest research empowers us with new insights to assess each grower’s objectives, weigh those objectives against a facility’s unique financial, environmental and energy parameters, and then ultimately derive a tailored solution for each cultivator.”

Merlice tomatoes

A collaborative study with Wageningen University and Research (WUR)—led by researchers Leo Marcelis and Ep Heuvelink—evaluated differences in yield, morphology, development and quality for Merlice tomatoes grown with the VYPR top light series under four light spectra: PhysioSpec BROAD R4, PhysioSpec BROAD R6, PhysioSpec BROAD R8 and PhysioSpec DUAL R9B. BROAD R4, R6 and R8 all contain significant fractions of green light and other photosynthetically active wavelengths, while DUAL R9B is a narrow-band spectrum that contains almost no green light.

As researchers increased the ratio of red light in the overall spectrum, they recorded a linear decrease in yield. Compared to spectra with higher blue, red and far-red wavelengths, Merlice grown under broader spectrum lights yielded increases in fruit weight as high as 13%. Other tomato cultivars grown under broad-spectrum saw yield increases up to 14%.

Cannabis

Fluence conducted individual studies with WUR and Texas Original Compassionate Cultivation (TOCC), respectively. In the TOCC study, researchers studied Type I, Type II and Type III cannabis response to broad-spectrum R4, R6 and R8 under high PPFD. In each case, broad-spectrum R4 generated the most dry weight per plant. In Type I cannabis, PhysioSpec BROAD R4 generated 17% higher yields than the next highest yielding spectral solution, R6. Cannabis grown under broad-spectrum R4 also significantly improved morphology compared to plants cultivated under R6 or R8. Plants grown under broad-spectrum R4 were free of photobleaching in their upper buds, a development that typically occurs in plants grown with a higher fraction of red light.

In the WUR study, researchers found that in some cultivars, monoterpene and cannabinoid content, including THC, CBD and CBG, is significantly inversely proportional to the fraction of red light in the production spectrum. With these cultivars, R4 induced a 20% increase in cannabinoid compounds compared to spectra with red light ratios as high as 90% or more.

“The results of the TOCC and WUR intensity and spectrum studies are important for cannabis cultivators for two reasons,” Hawley said. “First, there is rarely a scenario in which they should grow cannabis under low PPFD. Our research continues to emphasize how much more beneficial it is to grow cannabis under higher PPFDs. Second, watch your red light ratio. There are a couple very specific cultivars and production situations that could benefit from narrow-band or high red/far-red and blue wavelengths. But it can also have detrimental effects on cannabinoid content, terpene ratios, yield and morphology, and would raise the risk of significant photobleaching of the canopy. That’s why we generally recommend growing cannabis with broad-spectrum under high PPFD.”

Bell pepper

Fluence also conducted studies with bell peppers at the Harrow Research and Development Centre in Ontario, Canada led by Dr. Xiuming Hao and Dr. Jason Lanoue. The collaborative research on bell pepper found that fruit quality significantly increased in Gina and Eurix cultivars under broad-spectrum lighting. Peppers grown under broader spectrum light increased average fruit size by up to 15% compared to others with higher blue and red wavelengths. An increase in the dry matter content—which is largely associated with fruit quality—also increased with increasing green light. It was also found that broad-spectrum lighting strategies proved the consistency of week-to-week production by leveling out a traditionally flush-prone crop cycle.

“Time and time again, our research with leading institutions around the world is proving that there is no universal spectral strategy for cultivators,” said David Cohen, CEO at Fluence. “For many crops and cultivars, however, it’s also showing the holistic benefits of broad-spectrum white light not just for the crop, but for a cultivator’s entire operation. That’s why we at Fluence have a multilayered approach to how we work with our cultivators. We continue to invest heavily in industry-leading research around the world. We provide cultivators with boots-on-the-ground expertise and experience in the form of our horticulture services team, and we identify the right light fixture and spectral strategy to help cultivators achieve their most important goals.”

Fluence’s ongoing global research initiatives include additional studies on strawberry, lettuce and cucumber cultivation. To learn more about Fluence and discover its latest research results, visit www.fluence.science.

Aurum Labs Receives CDPHE Certification and is Poised to be the First DEA Registered Cannabis & Hemp Testing Laboratory in the Nation

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AUSTIN, Texas (Aug. 12, 2021)—PRESS RELEASE—Fluence by OSRAM, a global provider of energy-efficient LED lighting solutions for commercial cannabis and food production, announced today the results from a series of multiyear global studies analyzing the effects of broad-spectrum white light on cannabis, Merlice tomatoes and bell peppers.

The studies found that while spectrum sensitivity is cultivar-dependent, broad-spectrum lighting strategies—which include green light and other wavelengths largely absent in narrow-band spectra—improved crop yield, morphology and overall performance in selected cultivars when compared to narrow-band spectra with high ratios of red and far-red wavelengths.

“The results from our global studies show how effective broad-spectrum white light can be in improving crop performance for many cultivators around the world,” said Dr. David Hawley, principal scientist at Fluence. “Broad-spectrum strategies are about balance and flexibility in the spectrum itself as well as the overall cultivation approach. While there are certain scenarios in which narrow-band spectra, or pink light, may make sense from an energy efficiency or crop production perspective, we’ve found that many cultivars simply perform better under broad spectra across the KPIs cultivators care about most: yield, morphology and overall quality. Our latest research empowers us with new insights to assess each grower’s objectives, weigh those objectives against a facility’s unique financial, environmental and energy parameters, and then ultimately derive a tailored solution for each cultivator.”

Merlice tomatoes

A collaborative study with Wageningen University and Research (WUR)—led by researchers Leo Marcelis and Ep Heuvelink—evaluated differences in yield, morphology, development and quality for Merlice tomatoes grown with the VYPR top light series under four light spectra: PhysioSpec BROAD R4, PhysioSpec BROAD R6, PhysioSpec BROAD R8 and PhysioSpec DUAL R9B. BROAD R4, R6 and R8 all contain significant fractions of green light and other photosynthetically active wavelengths, while DUAL R9B is a narrow-band spectrum that contains almost no green light.

As researchers increased the ratio of red light in the overall spectrum, they recorded a linear decrease in yield. Compared to spectra with higher blue, red and far-red wavelengths, Merlice grown under broader spectrum lights yielded increases in fruit weight as high as 13%. Other tomato cultivars grown under broad-spectrum saw yield increases up to 14%.

Cannabis

Fluence conducted individual studies with WUR and Texas Original Compassionate Cultivation (TOCC), respectively. In the TOCC study, researchers studied Type I, Type II and Type III cannabis response to broad-spectrum R4, R6 and R8 under high PPFD. In each case, broad-spectrum R4 generated the most dry weight per plant. In Type I cannabis, PhysioSpec BROAD R4 generated 17% higher yields than the next highest yielding spectral solution, R6. Cannabis grown under broad-spectrum R4 also significantly improved morphology compared to plants cultivated under R6 or R8. Plants grown under broad-spectrum R4 were free of photobleaching in their upper buds, a development that typically occurs in plants grown with a higher fraction of red light.

In the WUR study, researchers found that in some cultivars, monoterpene and cannabinoid content, including THC, CBD and CBG, is significantly inversely proportional to the fraction of red light in the production spectrum. With these cultivars, R4 induced a 20% increase in cannabinoid compounds compared to spectra with red light ratios as high as 90% or more.

“The results of the TOCC and WUR intensity and spectrum studies are important for cannabis cultivators for two reasons,” Hawley said. “First, there is rarely a scenario in which they should grow cannabis under low PPFD. Our research continues to emphasize how much more beneficial it is to grow cannabis under higher PPFDs. Second, watch your red light ratio. There are a couple very specific cultivars and production situations that could benefit from narrow-band or high red/far-red and blue wavelengths. But it can also have detrimental effects on cannabinoid content, terpene ratios, yield and morphology, and would raise the risk of significant photobleaching of the canopy. That’s why we generally recommend growing cannabis with broad-spectrum under high PPFD.”

Bell pepper

Fluence also conducted studies with bell peppers at the Harrow Research and Development Centre in Ontario, Canada led by Dr. Xiuming Hao and Dr. Jason Lanoue. The collaborative research on bell pepper found that fruit quality significantly increased in Gina and Eurix cultivars under broad-spectrum lighting. Peppers grown under broader spectrum light increased average fruit size by up to 15% compared to others with higher blue and red wavelengths. An increase in the dry matter content—which is largely associated with fruit quality—also increased with increasing green light. It was also found that broad-spectrum lighting strategies proved the consistency of week-to-week production by leveling out a traditionally flush-prone crop cycle.

“Time and time again, our research with leading institutions around the world is proving that there is no universal spectral strategy for cultivators,” said David Cohen, CEO at Fluence. “For many crops and cultivars, however, it’s also showing the holistic benefits of broad-spectrum white light not just for the crop, but for a cultivator’s entire operation. That’s why we at Fluence have a multilayered approach to how we work with our cultivators. We continue to invest heavily in industry-leading research around the world. We provide cultivators with boots-on-the-ground expertise and experience in the form of our horticulture services team, and we identify the right light fixture and spectral strategy to help cultivators achieve their most important goals.”

Fluence’s ongoing global research initiatives include additional studies on strawberry, lettuce and cucumber cultivation. To learn more about Fluence and discover its latest research results, visit www.fluence.science.

Reducing Cross Contamination in Your Lab

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Cross Contamination

Cross Contamination – noun – “inadvertent transfer of bacteria or other contaminants from one surface, substance, etc., to another especially because of unsanitary handling procedures. – (Mariam Webster, 2021). Cross contamination is not a new concept in the clinical and food lab industries; many facilities have significant design aspects as well as SOPs to deliver the least amount of contaminants into the lab setting. For cannabis labs, however, often the exponential growth leads to a circumstance where the lab simply isn’t large enough for the number of samples processed and number of analytical instruments and personnel needed to process them. Cross contamination for cannabis labs can mean delayed results, heightened occurrences of false positives, and ultimately lost customers – why would you pay for analysis of your clean product in a dirty facility? The following steps can save you the headaches associated with cross contamination:

Wash (and dry) your hands properly

Flash back to early pandemic times when the Tik Tok “Ghen Co Vy” hand washing song was the hotness – we had little to no idea that the disease would be fueled mostly by aerosol transmission, but the premise is the same, good hand hygiene is good to reduce cross contamination. Hands are often the source of bacteria, both resident (here for the long haul; attached to your hands) and transient (easy to remove; just passing through), as they come into contact with surfaces from the bathroom to the pipettor daily (Robinson et al, 2016). Glove use coupled with adequate hand washing are good practices to reduce cross contamination from personnel to a product sample. Additionally, the type of hand drying technique can reduce the microbial load on the bathroom floors and, subsequently tracked into the lab. A 2013 study demonstrated almost double the contamination from air blade technology versus using a paper towel to dry your hands (Margas et al, 2013).

Design Your Lab for Separation

Microbes are migratory. In fact, E. coli can travel at speeds up to 15 body lengths per second. Compared to the fastest Olympians running the 4X100m relay, with an average speed of 35 feet per second or 6 body lengths, this bacterium is a gold medal winner, but we don’t want that in the lab setting (Milo and Phillips, 2021). New lab design keeps this idea of bacterial travel in mind, but for those labs without a new build, steps can be made to prevent contamination:

  • Try to keep traffic flow moving in one direction. Retracing steps can lead to contamination of a previous work station
  • Use separate equipment (e.g. cabinets, pipettes) for each process/step
  • Separate pre- and post-pcr areas
  • Physical separation – use different rooms, add walls, partitions, etc.

Establish, Train and Adhere to SOPs

Design SOPs that include everything- from hygiene to test procedures and sanitation.

High turnover for personnel in labs causes myriad issues. It doesn’t take long for a lab that is buttoned up with cohesive workflows to become a willy-nilly hodgepodge of poor lab practices. A lack of codified Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) can lead to a lab rife with contaminants and no clear way to troubleshoot the issue. Labs should design strict SOPs that include everything from hand hygiene to test procedures and sanitation. Written SOPs, according to the WHO, should be available at all work stations in their most recent version in order to reduce biased results from testing (WHO, 2009). These SOPs should be relayed to each new employee and training on updated SOPs should be conducted on an ongoing basis. According to Sutton, 2010, laboratory SOPs can be broken down into the following categories:

  • Quality requirements
  • Media
  • Cultures
  • Equipment
  • Training
  • Sample handling
  • Lab operations
  • Testing methodology
  • Data handling/reporting/archiving
  • Investigations

Establish Controls and Monitor Results

Scanning electron micrograph shows a colony of Salmonella typhimurium bacteria. Photo courtesy of CDC, Janice Haney Carr
Scanning electron micrograph shows a colony of Salmonella typhimurium bacteria. Photo courtesy of CDC, Janice Haney Carr

It may be difficult for labs to keep tabs on positivity and fail rates, but these are important aspects of a QC regimen. For microbiological analysis, labs should use an internal positive control to validate that 1) the method is working properly and 2) positives are a result of target analytes found in the target matrix, not an internal lab contamination strain. Positive controls can be an organism of choice, such as Salmonella Tranoroa, and can be tagged with a marker, such as Green Fluorescent Protein in order to differentiate the control strain. These controls will allow a lab tech to discriminate between a naturally contaminated specimen vs. a positive as a result of cross-contamination.

Labs should, in addition to having good QC practices, keep track of fail rates and positivity rates. This can be done as total lab results by analysis, but also can be broken down into customers. For instance, a lab fail rate for pesticides averages 4% for dried flower samples. If, during a given period of review, this rate jumps past 6% or falls below 2%, their may be an issue with instrumentation, personnel or the product itself. Once contamination is ruled out, labs can then present evidence of spikes in fail rates to growers who can then remediate in their own facilities. These efforts in concert will inherently drive down fail rates, increase lab capacity and efficiency, and result in cost savings for all parties associated.

Continuous Improvement is the Key

Cannabis testing labs are, compared to their food and clinical counterparts, relatively new. The lack of consistent state and federal regulation coupled with unfathomable growth each year, means many labs have been in the “build the plane as you fly” mode. As the lab environment matures, simple QC, SOP and hygiene changes can make an incremental differences and drive improvements for labs as well as growers and manufacturers they support. Lab management can, and should, take steps to reduce cross contamination, increase efficiency and lower costs; The first step is always the hardest, but continuous improvement cannot begin until it has been taken.

References

Margas, E, Maguire, E, Berland, C. R, Welander, F, & Holah, J. T. (2013). Assessment of the environmental microbiological cross contamination following hand drying with paper hand towels or an air blade dryer. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 115(2), 572-582.

Mariam Webster (2021. Cross contamination. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cross%20contamination

Milo, M., and Phillips, R. (2021). How fast do cells move? Cell biology by the numbers. Retrieved from http://book.bionumbers.org/how-fast-do-cells-move/

Robinson, Andrew L, Lee, Hyun Jung, Kwon, Junehee, Todd, Ewen, Perez Rodriguez, Fernando, & Ryu, Dojin. (2016). Adequate Hand Washing and Glove Use Are Necessary To Reduce Cross-Contamination from Hands with High Bacterial Loads. Journal of Food Protection, 79(2), 304–308. https://doi.org/10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-15-342

Sutton, Scott. (2010). The importance of a strong SOP system in the QC microbiology lab. Journal of GXP Compliance, 14(2), 44.

World Health Organization. (2009). Good Laboratory Practice Handbook. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/tdr/publications/documents/glp-handbook.pdf

FDA Balks at CBD Dietary Supplement Application, Maintaining Regulatory Uncertainty

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week pushed back on applications for CBD to be sold as an ingestible dietary ingredient, sending a strong signal that the federal agency is not ready to budge on this ongoing regulatory issue.

Charlotte’s Web had submitted an application requesting FDA approval of a full-spectrum hemp extract that includes CBD. The FDA objected to the application, pointing out that just a few years ago it had already sent CBD down the path of active ingredients in pharmaceutical drugs—putting the cannabinoid at odds with the ingestible food and beverage and dietary supplement market. In 2018, the FDA approved GW Pharmaceuticals’ epilepsy drug, Epidiolex, which contained CBD as an active ingredient. (The Drug Enforcement Administration [DEA] later followed that move with its own approval of Epidiolex, as well.)

“CBD is the active ingredient in the approved drug product, Epidiolex. Furthermore, the existence of substantial clinical investigations involving CBD has been made public,” Cara Welch, acting director of the FDA’s Office of Dietary Supplement Programs, wrote in a letter to Charlotte’s Web. “Accordingly, your product may not be marketed as or in a dietary supplement.”

Seeing a catch-22 in any future CBD application to the FDA, the team at Charlotte’s Web pointed to the U.S. Congress as an inevitable arbiter of this debate. The FDA, it is being reasoned, sent CBD down one regulatory path—closing off another regulatory path before the market had a chance to catch up.

“While we disagree with FDA’s reasoning, believing we provided extensive and credible scientific evidence that supported a different outcome, this decision affirms the path to regulatory clarity must come from Congress,” Charlotte’s Web Chief Executive Officer Deanie Elsner said in a statement, as published by Bloomberg. 

In a public statement released by the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, the organization echoed Elsner’s reference to the legislative branch in Washington, D.C: “This should be a clarion call to Congress that it is time to step in and pass legislation to ensure that CBD products are held to the same standard as all dietary supplements and food ingredients, and to reject an NDIN-only path. It’s been more than two and a half years since hemp was legalized by the 2018 Farm Bill, and without congressional intervention, the hemp farming industry will continue to struggle, and consumers stand to lose as well.”

 

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fumé Launches as a Modern Cannabis Brand Elevating the Experience

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When Denver-based Lightshade and multi-state operator Holistic Industries made the switch from high pressure sodium (HPS) lighting to light-emitting diode (LED) technology in their cannabis cultivation facilities, each operation’s retrofit presented its own set of challenges and lessons learned, but both journeys started with similar reasons for the switch.

Dan Banks, the vice president of cultivation for Lightshade, says he analyzed the total amount of illumination needed at the company’s 20,000-square-foot greenhouse facility and determined that the 336 supplemental HPS lights in the space did not provide enough luminosity.

“You can get more illumination per watt of power used by the LEDs versus traditional HID/HPS lighting,” Banks says. “It’s more bang for your energy buck. For us, it was less about using less energy and more about using the energy more efficiently.”

In the spring of 2020, Lightshade installed roughly 200 of Fluence by OSRAM’s VYPR LED fixtures to complement its HPS lighting, and this past spring, the company commenced replacing all of its HPS lights with 440 additional LED fixtures.

“In terms of selecting the Fluence VYPR, my colleague, Nick [Drury], in his capacity working for MJardin in the past, had done a lot of different trials with LED lights, and he had liked what he had seen with Fluence,” Banks says. “… You know that they’re investing in the further development and R&D of their fixtures, and you know they’re going to support the lighting technology. That was big for us.”

Banks and his team were also impressed by the VYPR’s full spectrum white light, which allows them to increase the light intensity without photo bleaching. In addition, the low-profile VYPR fixture does not block the natural sunlight in Lightshade’s greenhouse.

Nick Denney, cultivation director for Holistic Industries, says energy efficiency also drove his company to make the switch from HPS to LED lighting, as did yield potential.

“The single biggest driver for yield in crops—not just cannabis, but any crop—would be light intensity, or the accumulation of light intensity over a single day,” Denney says. “With HPS bulbs, you can only get so much before you start having some pretty big issues inside your rooms, mainly with heat removal. With LEDs, you can stack them in closer together, you can get them closer to the canopy, and you have … a higher ceiling for light intensity, if that’s your only source of light.”

Safety also played a role in Holistic Industries’ decision to convert its indoor facilities to LEDs.

“HPS [lights] have gas inside of the lamps, so if one of those falls out of the fixture, we could have huge issues, not just for human health for the people inside of the rooms, but the flower that could be contaminated because of it,” Denney says.

In early 2020, Holistic Industries launched R&D on LED lighting in a few rooms of its Washington, D.C., facility, and later that year, the company began installing Fluence’s VYPR LED fixtures in its Pennsylvania and Massachusetts facilities. The company’s Maryland facilities are currently undergoing expansion, and all the new rooms—as well as the old cultivation spaces—will ultimately use the VYPR fixtures. In addition, Holistic Industries is currently building out new facilities in Michigan, Missouri and West Virginia, all of which will have LED lighting.

“Really what it came down to for us was the technical support and science … that [Fluence is] putting into the industry as a whole,” Denney says. “I’ve felt like that was really what set them apart from other lighting vendors. There are other great LEDs out there, but we were looking for a good partner to work with that would scale with us because we’ve been growing extremely fast.”

The Greenhouse Retrofit

Since Lightshade originally supplemented its HPS lights with LED fixtures before converting all of its lighting to LEDs, the company was able to conduct R&D with light intensity to first test the fixtures’ specifications on a smaller scale.

“We saw a pretty immediate jump in yield correlated with the higher lighting intensity,” Banks says. “That did well for us for that year, and so that’s what led to doing the larger project, getting rid of the HPS and expanding that footprint. Since we did that in the spring of this year, we’ve also seen another jump in yield, so it’s been really good for us in the greenhouse.”

Lightshade took advantage of utility rebates to help finance the retrofit, and once the process is complete, Banks says the company will see a rebate of between $250 and $280 per fixture.

Lightshade mapped out the project with its utility company, Xcel Energy, before purchasing the LEDs and continued to work with Xcel through the installation process to monitor the electrical load.

“The big takeaway is you definitely want to engage with the utility, let them know what the project is and get approval for the project before you pull the trigger on buying anything,” Banks says.

Lightshade uses a palletized moving bench system in its greenhouse. So, as the cultivation staff harvested each section, the LED fixtures were installed as quickly as possible before the area was replanted.

“If you’re [retrofitting] a working facility, you’re not taking the facility offline, but you’re leveraging your harvest schedule to install those lights,” Banks says. “You may invariably end up with a few days of missed flowering time and some complications. … There were some logistical hurdles, but we were able to use our harvest cycle as the guiding light for how to plan that install and reduce downtime as much as possible.”

Lightshade operates a padwall-cooled greenhouse, and Banks says the LED fixtures produce less heat than the HPS lights, which equates to fewer hot spots and reduced plant stress.

However, Banks says humidity levels tend to creep up more with LEDs than with HPS fixtures, due in part to denser plants putting more water into the environment.

“The other difference is that we had less heat being generated by the lights because they’re more efficient,” he adds. “What that means is that our HVAC, in some cases, is actually running a little bit less because there’s less heat in the room. When that happens, you don’t have the byproduct of cooling, which is dehumidification. That can lead to a situation where you have a little bit more humidity in the room.”

In addition to adjusting equipment settings to decrease the humidity, Lightshade has also changed its watering practices due to the plants growing larger and requiring more water, especially in late flower, Banks says.

The Indoor Retrofit

Denney says “it was very difficult” to continue Holistic Industries’ indoor cultivation operations while accommodating the contractors installing the LED fixtures.

“We actually had to take a little bit of a hit on some batches because when you’re switching these lights out, they hang lower than the HPS, and they were blocking light over the canopy,” he says. “In some cases, we’re turning HPS lamps off so we can get the electrical switched over. … A lot of credit [goes] to our growers who guided the process and made it happen. And now, you can see there was a slight dip in yields in those batches when we were dancing with the contractors, but then as soon as the LEDs came online, there’s this uptick in growth.”

Just as with Banks and the Lightshade team, Denney and his staff have also noticed less heat coming off the LED fixtures and have tweaked the temperature in the grow rooms, leading to other environmental changes.

“When you increase temperature, it’s all a chain reaction of events,” Denney says. “You change temperature to keep vapor pressure deficit the same, and you’re changing humidity, as well. When you increase light and temperature and humidity, you’re also going to look at increasing your CO2 concentrations, and that’s all part of keeping the plant in balance.”

Environmental controls are also tied to irrigation practices, he adds, and some of Holistic Industries’ cultivars require higher inputs of fertilizer when grown under LEDs.

The Results and Lessons Learned

The biggest limiting factor in cannabis production is often light intensity, Banks says, and by increasing light intensity with the switch to LEDs, Lightshade has seen a corresponding increase in not only yield, but also the overall quality of product.

“The higher lighting intensity has caused things to be a little bit less stretchy—more dense,” he says. “And the floral structure looks really good. We’re also just getting some data right now—so I can’t say anything conclusive—but based off of some of the research we’ve done on all of this, we’re hoping that we’ll see a change in the potency of the product, as well, but it’s too early to tell.”

Denney says Holistic Industries’ plants received 600 to 900 micromoles of light with HPS, but with LEDs, the canopy receives 1500 micromoles of light, which equates to more dry weight of flower at harvest. On average, the company’s yield has doubled since it made the switch to LEDs, Denney says, adding that product quality and overall bag appeal has also improved.

“I’ve noticed different smells coming off of the same plants,” he adds. “I don’t know if it’s just me and my nose, but there are certain plants that I go in and I smell and I think, ‘This smells fruitier than I’m used to. I’ve never had it smell like that.’ Or there was one variety at harvest that just smelled like skunk, and I never had smelled that before from that same plant, and we’ve grown it countless times under HPS. I definitely think there’s something to that.”

The white light of the LEDs also helps Holistic Industries’ cultivation staff get a better view of the plants, which helps them more quickly identify nutrient deficiencies, pests and diseases.

“They’re able to identify and scout in the rooms better, which leads to a more consistent crop,” Denney says.

The LED fixtures also give Holistic Industries more precise control over light intensity, which helps its crop steering efforts.

“With LEDs and the increased light intensity, we’ve gained a lot more control over the plant and pushing it one way or the other, either toward vegetative growth or generative growth, and that’s really important for us because we’re trying to grow a lot of variety,” Denney says. He added that the LED fixtures give the company the needed control to grow craft cannabis at scale.

Banks urges other cultivators looking to convert their facilities to LEDs to think through the timeline of the project and the steps needed to complete the installation.

“That requires bringing together contractors to do the installation and the infrastructure,” he says. “That also means engaging with an electrician … and really laying out a good team and a good plan so you can minimize any downtime at your facility.”

Cultivators should also understand what they want to accomplish through the retrofit, Banks adds. “If you want to save energy, then doing a fixture-for-fixture replacement is really the way to go. If you want to maximize your output, then you look at your current lighting map and then you can ask your LED company you’re working with … to do all that light mapping for you and give you some options.”

Judge Bars Illinois from Issuing New Cannabis Retail Licenses After Applicant Sues State

by

When Denver-based Lightshade and multi-state operator Holistic Industries made the switch from high pressure sodium (HPS) lighting to light-emitting diode (LED) technology in their cannabis cultivation facilities, each operation’s retrofit presented its own set of challenges and lessons learned, but both journeys started with similar reasons for the switch.

Dan Banks, the vice president of cultivation for Lightshade, says he analyzed the total amount of illumination needed at the company’s 20,000-square-foot greenhouse facility and determined that the 336 supplemental HPS lights in the space did not provide enough luminosity.

“You can get more illumination per watt of power used by the LEDs versus traditional HID/HPS lighting,” Banks says. “It’s more bang for your energy buck. For us, it was less about using less energy and more about using the energy more efficiently.”

In the spring of 2020, Lightshade installed roughly 200 of Fluence by OSRAM’s VYPR LED fixtures to complement its HPS lighting, and this past spring, the company commenced replacing all of its HPS lights with 440 additional LED fixtures.

“In terms of selecting the Fluence VYPR, my colleague, Nick [Drury], in his capacity working for MJardin in the past, had done a lot of different trials with LED lights, and he had liked what he had seen with Fluence,” Banks says. “… You know that they’re investing in the further development and R&D of their fixtures, and you know they’re going to support the lighting technology. That was big for us.”

Banks and his team were also impressed by the VYPR’s full spectrum white light, which allows them to increase the light intensity without photo bleaching. In addition, the low-profile VYPR fixture does not block the natural sunlight in Lightshade’s greenhouse.

Nick Denney, cultivation director for Holistic Industries, says energy efficiency also drove his company to make the switch from HPS to LED lighting, as did yield potential.

“The single biggest driver for yield in crops—not just cannabis, but any crop—would be light intensity, or the accumulation of light intensity over a single day,” Denney says. “With HPS bulbs, you can only get so much before you start having some pretty big issues inside your rooms, mainly with heat removal. With LEDs, you can stack them in closer together, you can get them closer to the canopy, and you have … a higher ceiling for light intensity, if that’s your only source of light.”

Safety also played a role in Holistic Industries’ decision to convert its indoor facilities to LEDs.

“HPS [lights] have gas inside of the lamps, so if one of those falls out of the fixture, we could have huge issues, not just for human health for the people inside of the rooms, but the flower that could be contaminated because of it,” Denney says.

In early 2020, Holistic Industries launched R&D on LED lighting in a few rooms of its Washington, D.C., facility, and later that year, the company began installing Fluence’s VYPR LED fixtures in its Pennsylvania and Massachusetts facilities. The company’s Maryland facilities are currently undergoing expansion, and all the new rooms—as well as the old cultivation spaces—will ultimately use the VYPR fixtures. In addition, Holistic Industries is currently building out new facilities in Michigan, Missouri and West Virginia, all of which will have LED lighting.

“Really what it came down to for us was the technical support and science … that [Fluence is] putting into the industry as a whole,” Denney says. “I’ve felt like that was really what set them apart from other lighting vendors. There are other great LEDs out there, but we were looking for a good partner to work with that would scale with us because we’ve been growing extremely fast.”

The Greenhouse Retrofit

Since Lightshade originally supplemented its HPS lights with LED fixtures before converting all of its lighting to LEDs, the company was able to conduct R&D with light intensity to first test the fixtures’ specifications on a smaller scale.

“We saw a pretty immediate jump in yield correlated with the higher lighting intensity,” Banks says. “That did well for us for that year, and so that’s what led to doing the larger project, getting rid of the HPS and expanding that footprint. Since we did that in the spring of this year, we’ve also seen another jump in yield, so it’s been really good for us in the greenhouse.”

Lightshade took advantage of utility rebates to help finance the retrofit, and once the process is complete, Banks says the company will see a rebate of between $250 and $280 per fixture.

Lightshade mapped out the project with its utility company, Xcel Energy, before purchasing the LEDs and continued to work with Xcel through the installation process to monitor the electrical load.

“The big takeaway is you definitely want to engage with the utility, let them know what the project is and get approval for the project before you pull the trigger on buying anything,” Banks says.

Lightshade uses a palletized moving bench system in its greenhouse. So, as the cultivation staff harvested each section, the LED fixtures were installed as quickly as possible before the area was replanted.

“If you’re [retrofitting] a working facility, you’re not taking the facility offline, but you’re leveraging your harvest schedule to install those lights,” Banks says. “You may invariably end up with a few days of missed flowering time and some complications. … There were some logistical hurdles, but we were able to use our harvest cycle as the guiding light for how to plan that install and reduce downtime as much as possible.”

Lightshade operates a padwall-cooled greenhouse, and Banks says the LED fixtures produce less heat than the HPS lights, which equates to fewer hot spots and reduced plant stress.

However, Banks says humidity levels tend to creep up more with LEDs than with HPS fixtures, due in part to denser plants putting more water into the environment.

“The other difference is that we had less heat being generated by the lights because they’re more efficient,” he adds. “What that means is that our HVAC, in some cases, is actually running a little bit less because there’s less heat in the room. When that happens, you don’t have the byproduct of cooling, which is dehumidification. That can lead to a situation where you have a little bit more humidity in the room.”

In addition to adjusting equipment settings to decrease the humidity, Lightshade has also changed its watering practices due to the plants growing larger and requiring more water, especially in late flower, Banks says.

The Indoor Retrofit

Denney says “it was very difficult” to continue Holistic Industries’ indoor cultivation operations while accommodating the contractors installing the LED fixtures.

“We actually had to take a little bit of a hit on some batches because when you’re switching these lights out, they hang lower than the HPS, and they were blocking light over the canopy,” he says. “In some cases, we’re turning HPS lamps off so we can get the electrical switched over. … A lot of credit [goes] to our growers who guided the process and made it happen. And now, you can see there was a slight dip in yields in those batches when we were dancing with the contractors, but then as soon as the LEDs came online, there’s this uptick in growth.”

Just as with Banks and the Lightshade team, Denney and his staff have also noticed less heat coming off the LED fixtures and have tweaked the temperature in the grow rooms, leading to other environmental changes.

“When you increase temperature, it’s all a chain reaction of events,” Denney says. “You change temperature to keep vapor pressure deficit the same, and you’re changing humidity, as well. When you increase light and temperature and humidity, you’re also going to look at increasing your CO2 concentrations, and that’s all part of keeping the plant in balance.”

Environmental controls are also tied to irrigation practices, he adds, and some of Holistic Industries’ cultivars require higher inputs of fertilizer when grown under LEDs.

The Results and Lessons Learned

The biggest limiting factor in cannabis production is often light intensity, Banks says, and by increasing light intensity with the switch to LEDs, Lightshade has seen a corresponding increase in not only yield, but also the overall quality of product.

“The higher lighting intensity has caused things to be a little bit less stretchy—more dense,” he says. “And the floral structure looks really good. We’re also just getting some data right now—so I can’t say anything conclusive—but based off of some of the research we’ve done on all of this, we’re hoping that we’ll see a change in the potency of the product, as well, but it’s too early to tell.”

Denney says Holistic Industries’ plants received 600 to 900 micromoles of light with HPS, but with LEDs, the canopy receives 1500 micromoles of light, which equates to more dry weight of flower at harvest. On average, the company’s yield has doubled since it made the switch to LEDs, Denney says, adding that product quality and overall bag appeal has also improved.

“I’ve noticed different smells coming off of the same plants,” he adds. “I don’t know if it’s just me and my nose, but there are certain plants that I go in and I smell and I think, ‘This smells fruitier than I’m used to. I’ve never had it smell like that.’ Or there was one variety at harvest that just smelled like skunk, and I never had smelled that before from that same plant, and we’ve grown it countless times under HPS. I definitely think there’s something to that.”

The white light of the LEDs also helps Holistic Industries’ cultivation staff get a better view of the plants, which helps them more quickly identify nutrient deficiencies, pests and diseases.

“They’re able to identify and scout in the rooms better, which leads to a more consistent crop,” Denney says.

The LED fixtures also give Holistic Industries more precise control over light intensity, which helps its crop steering efforts.

“With LEDs and the increased light intensity, we’ve gained a lot more control over the plant and pushing it one way or the other, either toward vegetative growth or generative growth, and that’s really important for us because we’re trying to grow a lot of variety,” Denney says. He added that the LED fixtures give the company the needed control to grow craft cannabis at scale.

Banks urges other cultivators looking to convert their facilities to LEDs to think through the timeline of the project and the steps needed to complete the installation.

“That requires bringing together contractors to do the installation and the infrastructure,” he says. “That also means engaging with an electrician … and really laying out a good team and a good plan so you can minimize any downtime at your facility.”

Cultivators should also understand what they want to accomplish through the retrofit, Banks adds. “If you want to save energy, then doing a fixture-for-fixture replacement is really the way to go. If you want to maximize your output, then you look at your current lighting map and then you can ask your LED company you’re working with … to do all that light mapping for you and give you some options.”

4 Trends Propelling the U.S. Cannabis Testing Market: 2021-2027

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As the legalization of cannabis in the U.S. continues to grow, stringent regulatory requirements around the country are being adopted to ensure that only safe and high-quality cannabis is sold. The U.S. cannabis testing market is estimated to see tremendous growth over the coming years. Further, the FDA has made several resources available for addressing cannabis products like CBD to ensure that consumers and stakeholders are getting safe products.

According to Global Market Insights, Inc., U.S. Cannabis testing market size is projected to surpass USD 4.1 billion at a CAGR of 10.4% through 2027, in light of below mentioned trends:

Strategic initiatives by major industry players

HPLC (high pressure liquid chromatography) instrument.

Prominent players operating in the U.S. cannabis testing market such as CannaSafe, Anresco, Collective Wellness of California, EVIO Inc., Digipath Inc., PSI Labs, SC Labs, Inc., Steep Hill, Inc. etc. are focusing on developing enhanced cannabis testing solutions and accreditation for gaining strong market presence. For example, earlier this year SC Labs developed a comprehensive hemp testing panel that is purported to meet testing standards in every state with a hemp program.

Citing another instance, in 2019, a leading cannabis resource Leafly, introduced the Leafly Certified Labs Program, under which a network of labs is independently assessed by Leafly for quality and accuracy. This program has been designed to address inconsistency in cannabis testing by ensuring that lab data comes from labs that have been confirmed to provide accurate results.

Rising adoption of high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique

A lot of cannabis testing procedures are carried out using liquid chromatography. It is estimated to witness higher preference over the coming years. In 2020, the liquid chromatography segment recorded a valuation of USD 662.4 million. Further, liquid chromatography is a valuable alternative to gas chromatography when it comes to analysis of cannabinoids, pesticides and THC which is why this technology is often preferred for potency testing as it offers more precise analysis. Moreover, purification standards are highly controlled in liquid chromatography which helps in obtaining accurate results, which is complementing the segment growth.

Growing popularity of heavy metals testing for cannabis

Cannabis samples are liquified in strong acid in a pressurized microwave prior to evaluation for heavy metal content. Image courtesy of Digipath, Inc.

Heavy metals are known to be one of the major contaminants found in cannabis and its products apart from residual solvents, microbial organisms and pesticides. In addition, heavy metals are highly toxic in nature and on exposure can lead to poisoning and other complications. As a result, heavy metal testing for cannabis and its products is increasingly becoming popular. Several government organizations have made heavy metal testing mandatory for cannabis products. Moreover, increasing legalization of cannabis across several countries for adult use and medical purposes is likely to instigate the demand for heavy metal testing of cannabis products, thereby fostering the growth of heavy metals testing segment over the coming years. For the record, in 2020, the segment had recorded a market revenue of USD 352.5 million.

Increasing support from government bodies in the Mountain West

With increasing legalization for medical and adult use, the cannabis testing market in the Mountain West zone of the U.S. is likely to observe a tremendous growth over time. Moreover, growing support from various government bodies is playing a key role in enhancing the business space. For example, Montana’s Department of Revenue helps labs get licensed along with the state’s environmental laboratory that oversees inspections and licensing. Further, presence of a large number of cultivators of cannabis and manufacturers of cannabis-based products are also positively influencing the regional market growth. Considering the significance of these growth factors, the U.S. cannabis testing market in the Mountain West is estimated to register a substantial CAGR of 9.6% through 2027.