Accelerating grain hemp improvement with genomics

Genomics, the study of genetic sequence of an organism, can be of great benefit to plant breeders who wish to accelerate the development of new varieties. Natural Emphasis Ltd (NE) is interested in developing hemp that will produce more grain by increasing the number of female flowers on its plants. Our project is to identify sections of the genetic code called markers that are associated with plants with a high number of female flowers within a population that NE is using for breeding. With these markers, NE hopes to create several new varieties of hemp for the Canadian market that will yield more grain and be easier to harvest.

Faculty Supervisor:

Sean Myles

Student:

Michel McElroy

Partner:

Natural Emphasis

Discipline:

Animal science

Sector:

Medical devices

University:

Dalhousie University