Cannabinoids CBDA And CBGA Could Be Used As Basis For Natural Pesticides, Cornell Research Finds

Cannabinoids found in hemp could be used as the basis for natural pesticides, a new study by Cornell University researchers showed.

Per the research, published in the journal Horticulture Research in October, higher concentration in hemp leaves leads to proportionately less damage from pests damage, reported Hemp Today. Larry Smart, a plant breeder and professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell's AgriTech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) was in charge of these experiments. The project was funded by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets through Empire State Development, the state’s economic development corporation.

What happened: “On detached leaves, Trichoplusia ni larvae consumed less leaf area and grew less when feeding on leaves with greater concentrations of cannabinoids,” the study showed.

Authors further noted that in order “To isolate cannabinoids from confounding factors, artificial insect diet was amended with cannabinoids in a range of physiologically relevant concentrations.”  

Researchers isolated CBDA and CBGA and used them in artificial insect diets in various concentrations. “Larvae grew less and had lower rates of survival as cannabinoid concentration increased,” the research reads. “These results support the hypothesis that cannabinoids function in defense against chewing herbivores.” 

Smart explained that the Cornell program is not allowed to work with high THCA plants due to federal restrictions, so THCA as a pesticide was not tested in this study. 

Why it matters: This discovery may be the first step in the potential development of natural pesticides that could be used on non-edible plants.

“It has been speculated that they are defensive compounds, because they primarily accumulate in female flowers to protect seeds, which is a fairly common concept in plants,” said Smart. “But no one has put together a comprehensive set of experimental results to show a direct relationship between the accumulation of these cannabinoids and their harmful effects on insects.”

George Stack, a postdoctoral researcher in Smart’s lab and the paper’s first author, said “The potential use of cannabinoids as a pesticide is an exciting area for future research, but there will certainly be regulatory barriers due to pharmacological activity of the compounds, and more studies are needed to understand what pests cannabinoids will be effective against.” 

What’s next: Upcoming studies will focus on determining if sap-sucking insects, such as aphids, are also inhibited by cannabinoids

Continue reading on Hemp Today.

Photo: Courtesy of 2H Media on Unsplash