Abstract
The transition from the vegetative stage to the reproductive stage is a crucial process for all flowering plants. The optimal timing for the development of flowering tissue not only increases fertility and reproductive success, but also improves pollination, seed formation, and seed dispersal. This timing of this transition is initiated by a network of a few hundred regulatory genes which respond to changes in the plant’s environment, as well as other factors. The collection of these genes is referred to as the Flowering Time Regulatory Pathway. The genomic nature of this pathway has been studied for several decades in model species of Arabidopsis and Brassica, as well as important crop species like wheat, barley, and sunflowers. The identification of these genes in other novel crop species, like Cannabis, remains an important step in describing the presence/absence and variation of the flowering time pathway. Using protein alignment tools and publicly available genomic data, this research identified 618 candidate flowering time genes present in Cannabis for future investigation into expression, variation, and selection. The information gained on these candidate flowering time genes within Cannabis can now be used to develop molecular primers to amplify these regions of the genome for experimental purposes. The increasing economic importance of Cannabis propelled by recent legalization movements in the US states and other countries makes the timing of this research particularly relevant for growers, breeders, and geneticists aiming to understand the genomic nature of flowering time in Cannabis.