Cannabis Cultivation and Science Podcast · Tad Hussey

Episode 136: Tissue Culture and Micropropagation with Dr. Adel Zarei

·1 hr 10 min·5 clips

IBA, the usual rooting hormone, was repressing rooting in cannabis tissue culture.

1. Cannabis Cultivation and Science Podcast Episode 136 focuses on tissue culture and micropropagation with Dr. Adel Zarei. 2. Tad Hussey of KISS Organics hosts, and Dr. Adel Zarei is the guest because of his PhD from Leiden University, his University of Guelph research, and his cannabis micropropagation work. 3. The episode asks how tissue culture can clean cannabis plants, preserve genetics, and make commercial propagation more reliable. 4. Zarei says his 2002 PhD studied the molecular mechanisms of plant defense against adverse environments. 5. He says he moved to the University of Guelph in 2007 and studied secondary metabolite pathways in plants. 6. He defines secondary metabolites as molecules plants make to prepare for biotic and abiotic stresses. 7. He links cannabinoids to secondary metabolites and says cannabis makes them for protection against herbivores, pests, pathogens, and other stresses. 8. Zarei says legalization in 2017 pushed him to write grants and start tissue culture research in Canada. 9. He says that work produced three peer-reviewed papers and led him to establish CanKnow, where he helped license holders design labs and train staff. 10. He now works in Queensland, Australia, as chief operating officer at Pharmacrop and oversees science from seed to medical-grade cannabis products. 11. He says standard tissue-culture methods did not work for roughly 50 cannabis strains because many were stunted, malformed, translucent, or dead. 12. He says hyperhydricity happens when plants take up too much water in the vessel and fill intercellular spaces so respiration is blocked. 13. He says the usual MS medium was low in calcium, magnesium, and potassium for cannabis, so he adjusted the formulation to improve growth. 14. He says potassium silicate reduced hyperhydricity and helped the plants stay more resilient in vitro. 15. He says rooting was the final challenge and that IBA, a common rooting hormone, unexpectedly repressed rooting in cannabis tissue culture. 16. He says he solved that stage by mimicking a cutting in rockwool or Jiffy-style media and watering with sterile fertilizer until roots formed. 17. Zarei describes meristem culture as excising a tiny shoot tip, about 0.2 to 0.5 millimeters, where xylem and phloem are not fully developed. 18. He says that makes the tip useful for removing pathogens such as hop latent viroid and for regenerating healthy plants. 19. The episode is technical, practical, and interview-driven, with Tad Hussey repeatedly asking for definitions, process steps, and commercial implications. 20. Listeners who work in cannabis propagation, tissue culture, or plant health will get the most value, while casual listeners looking for light entertainment may skip it.

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