Crafting A ‘Mixed Martial Arts’ Plant: Texas Scientists Develop Drought-Resistant Hemp Strain
Researchers at Texas A&M’s hemp-breeding program have achieved a unique milestone in their quest to develop super strains.
Led by Dr. Russell Jessup, the team successfully identified and bred strains that can thrive in Texas’ extreme heat and arid conditions. These genetics will now be added to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) national collection, providing a valuable resource for farmers across the country.
Dr. Jessup shared the magician’s trick in an interview with Kevin Curtis in The Austin Chronicle: “We torture plants with high lights, high temperature, high salts, I don’t water them, I put them in crappy soil. We torture the heck out of them, then see which ones are the MMA plants, and those are the ones we pick.”
This testing ensures only the strongest …