Strain

What Does Strain Mean?

In botany, the term strain refers to variations found within plant cultivars. It also refers to the offspring that descend from modified plants. These plants are either produced by biotechnological methods or through regular breeding. In some cases, different strains result from genetic mutations.

The word strain commonly applies to cultivars such as cannabis, azaleas, rhododendrons, daffodils, camellias, and roses.

Maximum Yield Explains Strain

When grown directly from seed, strains tend to retain their characteristics. For instance, when it comes to rice, fresh genetic materials are inserted into the plant to create new rice strains. Each strain contains its own set of unique and exclusive genetic information that will be transferred to the next generation of rice plants. It is possible to breed these rice strains into cultivars or other strains.

When it comes to cannabis, the distinction between strains first occurred in the 18^th century when researchers and scientists first began to study the differences in various marijuana plants. Researchers divided cannabis into groups and then individual strains when they discovered that certain cannabis plants thrived in mountainous regions but others needed more temperate climates. As cannabis cultivation became more widespread, researchers started to breed strains together to produce distinct hybrids.

Today, there are at least 779 known cannabis strains that all fall into one of three groups: indica, sativa, and hybrids. In general, the sativa group of marijuana strains tend to provide an uplifting cerebral effect when smoked or consumed, indica strains are more relaxing, and hybrid strains often combine a bit of both indica and sativa to offer the best of both worlds. There is also a lesser-known strain called ruderalis which isn't referenced often as it is believed to not have much, if any, effect on humans.

As cannabis becomes more widely used around the world, the list of strains changes and grows almost daily.