USPP34828P2

USPP34828P2 - Hemp plant named ‘3 Crop’

Info

Publication number: USPP34828P2
Application number: US17/481,046
Authority: US
Inventors: Arthur Adams; Thomas Azwell
Original assignee: Geneticscubed LLC
Current assignee: Geneticscubed LLC
Priority date: 2021-09-21
Filing date: 2021-09-21
Publication date: 2022-12-13
Anticipated expiration: 2041-09-21

Abstract

The present invention provides a new and distinct variety of hemp designated as ‘3 Crop’, wherein ‘3 Crop’ comprises improved resilience to high salinity soil.

Description

Latin name of the genus and species of the plant claimed: Cannabis spp.

Variety denomination: ‘3 Crop’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Cannabis is the genus of a variety of species—Cannabis sativa, Cannabis ruderalis, and Cannabis indica—which is often used as an umbrella term to refer to them all. This misclassification of the different species has made it difficult to properly distinguish between and understand the best ways to utilize the different varieties of these plants.

According to the 2018 Farm Bill, Hemp is a variety of Cannabis sativa that is distinguished by its low tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels of less than 0.3%. THC is the only currently known psychoactive compound found in Cannabis, however there are many additional cannabinoid compounds that can be utilized in a variety of ways. The exact concentration results based on lab testing of dried flowers will vary depending on growing conditions of the plant, and sampling, preparation, and testing methods used. THC production, for example, is a natural defense mechanism for the plant, meaning in high stress or threatening environments the specific plant will produce higher levels of THC. Because of this inconsistency, many state labs are allowing slightly higher levels of THC in the tests as anything under 1% THC has not been proven to have psychoactive effects.

For the purpose of this study on ‘3 Crop’, the cannabinoid percentages are recorded based on a plant grown in a high-stress environment to determine the maximum concentration of THC that will be produced by this specific strain. The results conclude that the ‘3 Crop’ is a type-III hemp cultivar meaning it does not possess the allele to ever make more than 0.5% THC (and thus is not suitable for marijuana use). Additionally, ‘3 Crop’ is a new, unique variety because of its potential to be utilized as a tricrop, meaning its stalks can be used to create fiber. As a mother it produces many strong, viable seeds and maintains elevated cannabinoid levels.

Before medicinal hemp and cannabidiol (CBD) became popularized, industrial hemp was prominently grown for fiber to make paper, fabric, rope, or other materials. The stalks were the part of the plant that were needed for fiber, so there wasn't a focus on the flower or increasing cannabinoid levels. At the time that industrial hemp was prominent, the abundance of cannabinoids were produced in marijuana cultivars which were criminalized due to the presence of the psychoactive cannabinoid, THC. With the recent discovery of the medicinal properties of other cannabinoids, such as CBD, cannabichromene (CBC), and cannabigerol (CBG), the hemp industry shifted towards a hybrid of the industrial hemp with marijuana to isolate plants with high levels of CBD but low levels of THC. This shift in the market made it so hemp was grown to produce large, robust flowers with high cannabinoid concentration instead of stalks for fiber.

The industry shift to cannabinoids also pulled the focus away from the other beneficial qualities of hemp, including its nutritious seeds. Not only do the seeds have a significant amount of nutrients and protein, but they can be pressed for oil that can be used to produce paints, soaps, and even biofuel. As CBD floods the market, it will become more apparent that the best way to have success with growing hemp is to not focus exclusively on the flowers and cannabinoids, but rather look at the other aspects of the plant. For a farmer to select three different strains that each have one of the qualities listed above, it will be more effort to manage three different crops and the different maintenance and supplements needed for them to individually thrive. A tricrop cultivar will allow farmers to have all three things without having to adjust for different strains. It grows dense, aromatic flowers with vast cannabinoid concentrations and terpene profiles on tall, thick stalks with large, fibrous internodes. When allowed to fertilize, the stalks are sturdy enough to hold up the flowers that are heavy with large yields of seeds without breaking. Additionally, the seeds harden and reach maturity after one month post-pollination which is much faster than other plants that often take two months to develop fully matured and hardened seeds.

‘3 Crop’ is a new and distinct variety of hemp plant exhibiting a CBD:CBG:THC ratio of 22:2:1, and improved resilience to high salinity soils. ‘3 Crop’ was developed in a selective breeding program by performing controlled fertilization of known, high-performing hemp varieties. The purpose of the research was to determine which cultivars would not only produce high levels of CBD while maintaining the legal limit of THC, but also could be used to produce fiber and seeds. The research also was striving to isolate varieties of plants with high concentrations of novel cannabinoids that have not been isolated in mass. The father, W, was selected because of its characteristically high levels of CBG at maturity and was crossed with 27 different females to determine which would pass the CBG trait. One hundred of each of the newly produced seeds were germinated and grown indoors to identify the best new phenotype. Of them, many had the potential to be a tricrop and used for fiber and seed in addition to cannabinoids. ‘3 Crop’ was the best-performing individual selected from nearly 3,000 plants due to its vigor, large yield of large seed, large stalks with fibrous qualities, high cannabinoid content and unique terpene profile.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a new and distinctive hemp cultivar designated as ‘3 Crop’.

As used herein, the term “cultivar” is used interchangeably with the terms “variety,” strain,” and/or “clone.”

Progenies have been reproduced asexually via apical stem cuttings from vegetative plants. Additionally, ‘3 Crop’ has a stable seed line.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the new hemp variety:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of ‘3 Crop’ grown from seed outdoors in high salinity soil. Notice the significant vegetative growth and long stalks compared to surrounding strains.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of ‘3 Crop’ (left) next to U mother (right) both grown from clones and transplanted at the same time. The photo was taken 4 weeks after flowering was induced in the plants. Notice ‘3 Crop’ is taller with larger internodes, but has similar leaf structures to the mother. Both were topped in the vegetative stage to induce branching which limited the vertical growth possible by ‘3 Crop’.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of ‘3 Crop’ grown outdoors from clone after vegetative growth was confined to a small pot causing the plant to be root bound. This photo doesn't exhibit the fibrous stalks because the vegetative state was stunted, however, it shows the dense, thick flower that ‘3 Crop’ is capable of producing.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a top flower of pregnant ‘3 Crop’ grown indoors taken one week before harvest. Seeds matured approximately one month faster, compared to other plants that take two months post-pollination to fully mature.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of clones taken from 6 different genotypes and allowed to root and grow for one month in rockwool before planting in soil. The middle two plants are 2 phenotypes (sisters) of ‘3 Crop’ and exhibit their intense vegetative growth as seen by the large stalk and wide internodes as compared to surrounding strains that have remained shorter and focus more on leaf development than growth of a sturdy, fibrous stalk.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

‘3 Crop’ has been examined in manipulated conditions grown indoors. The variety has not been grown in all possible conditions, thus different environmental factors alter the appearance or composition of this phenotype. The individual has been reproduced asexually via apical stem cuttings from vegetative plants in Sonoma County, Calif. Additionally, ‘3 Crop’ has a stable seed line.

In the following description, the color determination is in accordance with The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Charts, Fifth Edition (referred to herein as “R.H.S.”, available at rhscf.orgfree.com, last visited Aug. 25, 2020) except where general color terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. Note that variation in color for the same plant on the leaves and stalks can be a result of different nutrient formulas and different amounts of watering. Coloration should only be used as a general picture rather than the distinguishing features.

TABLE 1

General

Charac-		Parental Variety (U)
teristics	New Variety ‘3 Crop’	(Female Plant)

Plant Life	Herbaceous plant (herb)	Herbaceous plant (herb)
Form
Plant Growth	Upright, monoecious, annual,	Upright, dioecious,
Habit	averaging 80% Female and	annual, no hermaphrodite
	20% hermaphrodite with the	or monoecious tendencies
	hermaphrodite averaging 90%	without stress conditions
	Female Flowers and 10%
	Male Flowers
Plant origin	‘3 Crop’ was created in a	Origin unknown
	selective breeding program
	from a cross between the
	Mother, U, hemp variety and
	the Father, W, hemp variety.
Plant	Asexually reproduced via	Asexually reproduced via
Propagation	apical stem cutting and	apical stem cutting and
	cloning from mother in	cloning from mother in
	vegetative state	vegetative state
Propagation	Easy	Easy
ease
Propagation	80° F., 90% humidity	80^oF., 90% humidity
Condition
Height (unit:	Outdoors may reach 10 feet at	Outdoors may reach 8-10
feet)	maturity	feet at maturity
	Indoors may reach 8 feet at	Indoors may reach 3-4
	maturity depending on growth	feet depending on growth
	conditions	conditions
Width (unit:	Outdoors may reach 3 feet at	Outdoors may reach 6-8
feet)	maturity	feet
	Indoors may reach 2 feet	Indoors may reach 1-2
	depending on growth	feet
	conditions
	This plant generally grows
	very tall with minimal foliage
	and buds. This long growth
	allows for stalks to be used
	for fibers
Time to	60 Days from Induction of	60 Days from Induction
Harvest	flowering light cycle	of flowering light cycle
Resistance to	Resistant to Podosphaera	More prone to
Pests or	macularis (Powdery mildew),	Podosphaera macularis
disease	Tetranychu surticae (Mite),	(Powdery mildew)
	Myzus persicae (Green Peach	Has resistance to more
	Aphid), Phorodon cannabis	bugs
	(Bhang Aphid), and Aphis
	fabae (Black Bean Aphid).
Genetically	No	No
Modified
Organism?

TABLE II

Leaf/Foliage

Character-		Parental Variety (U)
istics	New Variety ‘3 Crop’	(Female Plant)

Leaf Ar-	Spiral alternate leaf arrange-	Spiral alternate leaves and
rangement	ment with the buds growing	branching.
	closer together relative to
	the large internodes. In some
	locations, the branching
	appears more opposite than
	alternate.
Leaf Shape	Palmately compound with 5-	Palmately compound with
	9 leaflets throughout life	5-7 leaflets throughout
	cycle	life cycle
Leaf	Serrated margins with long,	Serrated margins with long
Structure	slightly ovate, lanceolate	lanceolate leaves slightly
	leaflets. Apex and base are	linear. The base is much
	both long and aristate, both	more acuminate and the
	dramatically narrow and	apex is almost aristate.
	taper before reaching the	The middle portion of the
	ends of the leaflet. Overall	leaf remains broader for
	the leaflets are long and	longer before narrowing
	more broad in the center.	again.
Leaf	Margins are serrated with	Margins are serrate with
Margins	points that are almost treated	the outside of the serrations
	from linear sides of the ser-	being slightly convex and
	ration. Tips of the serration	the inner side of the ser-
	slightly point inward.	ration being slightly con-
		cave. The tips are less
		angled inward than com-
		pared to the offspring.
Leaf Hairs	Absent	Absent
Leaf	19-22 cm	15-19 cm
Length with
Petiole at
Maturity
Petiole	6-8 cm	3-4 cm
Length at
Maturity
Petiole	Back side is 149C and the	Back side is 142A and front
Color	front has slight N79C spots	has slight N79B color
(RHS
Number)
Antho-	Prominent near the node that	Prominent on the petiole.
cyanin	connects the petioles to the
color and	leaflets, almost in speckled
intensity	patterns and continue down,
in	less prominently towards the
Petioles	stem. Also prominent in
	stems and stalks near the
	leaves or buds.
Stipule	6-20 mm	4-12 mm
length at
maturity
Stipule	Lance shaped with	Lance shaped with tapering,
shape	acuminate/long tapering	acuminate apex and broad
	apex. Base is more broad,	base with a less dramatic
	making a more triangular	tapering.
	shape.
Stipule	149C	142A
Color
(RHS
Number)
Number	5-9 throughout life cycle	5-7 throughout life cycle
of Leaflets
Middle	12-14 cm	11-14 cm
Largest
(longest
leaflet)
length
Middle	2-3 cm	2-3 cm
Largest
(longest
leaflet)
width
Middle	5:1 to 6:1	5:1 to 6:1
Largest
(longest
Leaflet)
length:
width
Ratio
Number of	33-43	38-42
teeth of
middle
leaflet
Leaf (upper	143B	N134A to 141A
side) color
(RHS Num-
ber)
Leaf (lower	142A	140B to 14IC
side) color
(RHS Num-
ber)
Leaf Glossi-	None	No glossiness, the top of the
ness		leaf is more matte
Vein/midrib	Primary veins branch out	Primary veins branch out
shape	palmately with the leaflets.	palmately with the leaflets.
	The 2° veins branch	The 2° veins branch
	pinnately from the main	pinnately from the main
	veins and extend toward ser-	veins and extend toward
	rations with slightly convex	serrations with slightly con-
	angles upwards towards	vex angles upwards towards
	apex. 3° veins are very light	apex. 3° veins radiate out
	and radiate out pinnately	pinnately from the 2° veins
	from the 2° veins particu-	and additionally from the
	larly to connect to the indent	primary veins between the
	between the serrations	2° veins. The 3° are most
	and additionally from the	prominent, when branching
	primary veins between the	from the primary veins or
	2° veins. On the bottom, the	when branching from the
	3° veins are not visible more	2° veins to connect to the
	than the protrusions. All	indentation between ser-
	veins make visible indenta-	rations. All veins make
	tions seen from the top of	visible indentations seen
	the leaf.	from the top of the leaf.
Vein/midrib	149C	142A
color (RHS
Number)
Aroma	Bubble gum and fruity	Earthy with sweet minty
	aroma	undertones

TABLE III

Stem

		Parental Variety (U)
Characteristics	New Variety ‘3 Crop’	(Female Plant)

Stem Shape	At maturity, the bottom of the	At maturity, the stalk is
	trunk appears to be woody and	very sturdy and linear.
	is more rounded. Father up,	Branches bend directly
	more prominent ridges	at the node from the
	become apparent with a	stalk to point upwards
	hexagonal shape. Newer	then remain straight.
	growth on branches has more	The stems have very
	prominent indentations in	minimal ridges only on
	correlation with protrusions	new growth and older
	extending upwards from	growth is much
	where previous branch	smoother and more
	nodes are.	round than the off-
		spring.
Stem Diameter	When grown indoors, 1-3 cm	When grown indoors,
at Base	When grown outdoors, 6-13	1-2.5 cm.
	cm	When grown outdoors,
		3-9 cm.
Stem Color	149A to 150A	142A
(RHS Number)
Stem Pith Type	Moderate to woody	Moderate to Thick
Stem Internode	2-9 cm	2-9 cm
Length

TABLE IV

Inflorescence

Character-		Parental Variety (U)
istics	New Variety ‘3 Crop’	(Female Plant)

Flowering	Dioecious.	Dioecious, so grows pistillate
(blooming)		flowers at nodes. Once
habit		branching also occurs at the
		node, the flower will grow
		above the branch before
		producing a flower. Flowers
		grow very bulbous, almost
		spherical. Leaves sur-
		rounding the buds radiate and
		are more present around
		apical buds.
Proportion of	Around 50%-80%	50% grown from seed, nor-
female plants	Very Stable Mono-	mal dioecious plant
	ecious
Inflorescence	Superior with petioles	Superior
Position	of the flowers grow-
	ing at an angle away
	from the main stalk
	or stem.
Flower	Flowers are arranged	Flowers are much more
arrangement	at bud sites which	clustered near the apex of the
	have larger than	branch but grow relatively
	typical internodal	solitary until maturity when
	spacing and will not	they are larger and overlap
	grow together to	more prominently. The flow-
	form a cola. Individ-	ers radiate in a very sym-
	ual buds are also	metrical pattern around the
	closer and internodes	branches and grow prom-
	are shorter near the	inently above the fan leaves
	apex of the branches.	with minimal sugar leaves
	Sugar leaves radiate	present in the actual mature
	in spiral pattern	buds.
	within the flower
	and protrude promi-
	nently throughout the
	flowers. Individual
	calyces are clustered
	and overlapping to
	form flowers.
Number of	Hundreds to thou-	Hundreds to thousands
Flowers per	sands per plant
plant
Flower shape	The flowers grow	The flowers are very bulbous
	more conically with	with multiple points of
	broad bases, getting	symmetry. In early flowering
	slightly wider before	growth, the buds are almost
	narrowing to the apex.	spherical and become more
	Often in terminal buds	elongated with maturity. At
	there is branching of	full maturity, the buds are
	the flower creating	significantly wider in the
	one bud with multiple	middle and slightly more
	tips, almost a com-	elongated on the top than the
	pound calyx of multi-	bottom.
	ple flowers grouped
	together.
Flower	4-15 mm	3-9 mm
(individual
pistillate)
length
Flower	3-9 cm	2-7 cm
(compound
cyme)
diameter
Corolla	No defined corolla	No defined corolla
Corolla	N/A	N/A
Color (RHS
number)
Bract shape	Small, ovate with	Broad /rounded base with
	tapering apex. Diffi-	long, tapering apex.
	cult to locate because
	buds are broader and
	thinner so overlap on
	top of each other
Bract color	149C	142A
(RHS num-
ber)
Bracteole	Same as the Bract	Same as bract
shape
Bracteole	149C	142A
color (RHS
number)
Calyx Shape	Not Present	Not Present
(general
description)
Calyx color	NA	NA
(RHS num-
ber)
Stigma shape	Ovate shape with long	Ovate shape with long taper-
	tapering apex where 2	ing apex where 2 spindle-like
	spindle-like styles	styles protrude. Generally
	protrude.	thicker and more clustered
		compared to the offspring
Stigma	8-21 mm	3-7 mm
length
Stigma	Newly emerged, non-	150A
color (RHS	fertilized stigma are
number)	milky white with
	slight greenish hue
	(128D).
Trichome	Capitate stalked gland,	Capitate stalked gland, long
shape	long stalk with smaller	stalk with smaller bulb on
	bulb on top. In mature	top. In mature plants grow on
	plants grow on	flowers and leaves.
	flowers, petioles,
	leaves and veins.
Cystolithic	On leaves farther from	Present on some leaves
non-glan-	the bud. Leaves grow	surrounding the buds.
dular	trichomes that appear
	glandular when sur-
	rounding the flowers.
Trichome	Opaque (11D), white,	Opaque /white but changes
color (RHS	creamy color (19B) but	with maturity/when ready to
Number)	changes to clear trans-	harvest.
	lucent to auburn (20D)
	and less translucent
	with maturity/when
	ready to harvest.
Trichome	1-4 mm	1-4 mm
size
Terminal	When flowering: No	When flowering: Significant
Bud shape	prominent symmetry,	radial symmetry because less
	the base of the flower	obstruction from nearby stem.
	is broader than the	The base of the flower is
	apex, creating a more	broader than the apex, but the
	conical shape. Bud	middle is the widest creating
	branches directly from	a more ovular shape at matur-
	the stem with sur-	ity as it elongates from the
	rounding flowers much	initial spherical shape.
	closer than axillary
	buds.
Terminal	140B and 149C	142A
Bud color
(RHS num-
ber)
Pedicle	Present in varying len-	Less prominent and much
	gths depending on	shorter than on the offspring.
	maturity and location	Is present closer to the main
	of bud. Longer pedicles	stalk, and less apparent or
	for axillary buds and	absent near the branch apex.
	shorter for buds that are
	closer to the apical end
	of branches.
Pedicle	0.1-1.0 mm	0.1-1.0 mm
length
Pedicle	149A to 150A	142A
color (RHS
Number)
Staminate	N/A	N/A
shape
Sepal	N/A	N/A
color (RHS
number)
Pollen	N/A	N/A
description
Seed	Seeds are 3-4mm in	Seeds are 2-3 mm in length.
description	length with minimal	The seeds have vertical lines
	marbling throughout	along the sides of the seed but
	but no other prominent	only 3-4 per seed. The seed is
	markings or lines.	a light brown with the vertical
	Seeds are dark and	lines slightly more white.
	mature ~1 month after	Some marbling occurs bet-
	pollination compared	ween or in place of the
	to other strains that	vertical lines.
	typically take ~2
	months
Marbling	Present but not abun-	Minimal
of seed	dant
Petal	N/A, Apetalous	N/A
description

TABLE V

Other Characteristics

		Parental Variety (U)
Characteristics	New Variety ‘3 Crop’	(Female Plant)

Time period	Flower production is	Flower production is
and condition	initiated when plants	initiated when plants
of flowering/	are taken from veg-	are taken from veg-
blooming	etative growth at 24-	etative growth at 24-
	hour light and	hour light and switch-
	switched to 12 hours	ed to 12 hours of light
	of light followed by	followed by 12 hours
	12 hours of dark	of dark during what
	during what would	would be the nocturnal
	be the nocturnal	period. Flowers mature
	period. Flowers and	typically 75 days after
	seeds are mature	the flowering light
	typically 75 days	cycle is initiated.
	after flowering light
	cycle is initiated.
Proportion of	10% on average	None
hermaphrodite
plants
Hardiness of	Tolerant to heat, cold,	Tolerant to
plant	(USDA hardiness zone	Pososphaera macularis
	4-11) Pososphaera	(powdery mildew),
	macularis (powdery	mold and pests.
	mildew), mold, pests	Thrives in heat but is
	and can thrive in diff-	resistant to cold and
	erent soil conditions.	humidity, resilience
	Because of long inter-	in many conditions
	nodes and prominent	wet or dry, hot or cold.
	stalk, may require more
	water than mother to
	maintain turgor in
	stems.
Breaking action	Above average,	Above Average,
	very sturdy.	very sturdy.
Seed Shattering	Minimal	Minimal
Root rate after	Has exhibited 100%	Has exhibited 100%
cutting/cloning	success at new root	success at new root
	development after	development after
	cloning. Adventitious	cloning. Adventitious
	roots appear at 10-	roots appear at 10-14
	14 days.	days.
Total THC and	Total CBD content:	Total CBD content:
CBD Content	13%	14%
at harvest	Total THC content:	Total THC content:
maturity	0.6%	0.7%
	Total CBD:THC	Total CBD:THC
	Ratio: 22:1	Ratio: 20:1
Total CBG	Total CBG: 1.1%	Total CBG: 0.62%
content at	CBD:CBG:THC	CBD:CBG:THC
harvest	Ratio: 22:2:1	Ratio: 20:1:1
maturity

The botanical descriptions provided are generalizing from plants grown indoors in controlled conditions. Total potential cannabinoid content is measured using a formula to account for decarboxylation of the acidic forms to allow for more accurate estimation. The formulas used are provided for convenience:
Total THC=THC+(THCA*(0.877));
Total CBD=CBD+(CBDA*(0.877));
Total CBG=CBG+(CBGA*(0.877)).

The W father has alternate, palmately compound leaves with 3-7 incredibly long and slender leaflets. Each leaflet has a length to width ratio of about 8:1 compared to ‘3 Crop’ with about 5 or 6:1. Additionally, the W has serrated margins with significantly fewer teeth of about 23-30 compared to 33-43 on 3 Crop. The leaves on ‘3 Crop’ resemble the mother more than the father, but the larger than average internodal spacing on the W father is exhibited in ‘3 Crop’, though it is still more significant. Additionally, the W father was selected for its unusually high CBG levels which is a novel cannabinoid that is usually only seen in young growth or in small quantities at maturity because it is the precursor to some other cannabinoids such as THC, CBD, and CBC. ‘3 Crop’ also has a higher than average CBG level (above 1%) which it most likely inherited from the W father. The W father also exhibits hermaphrodite tendencies when stressed and sometimes even naturally.

When compared to the U mother, ‘3 Crop’ is generally significantly taller and more resilient. ‘3 Crop’ has rapid growth in the vegetative state and will produce long, sturdy stalks and stems that will grow taller to out compete surrounding plants for light. The U mother on the other hand generally is shorter and wider growth but still has a similar leaf structure resembling the ‘3 Crop’ but with shorter internodes. Additionally, the ‘3 Crop’ exhibits much more prominent branching both from the stalk and 3° from branching off the stems. The U mother has fewer leaflets compared to the ‘3 Crop’ with generally more serrations on the leaflet margins. The ‘3 Crop’ has generally larger leaves than what is seen on the U mother, but the ratios of length:width both are about 5 or 6:1. Both plants produce impressive flower, but the U mother has spherical flowers whereas the ‘3 Crop’ produces more conical flowers. The differences also go beyond just the appearance. The U mother prefers a hot climate and can tolerate more drought conditions. The ‘3 Crop’, on the other hand, drinks more water, likely due to its rapid and intense growth, and needs more water to maintain the turgor pressure in the long stems to keep the plant upright. The U mother also grows more robustly when grown outdoors and not confined to a pot and will get about as wide as it gets tall. The ‘3 Crop’ thrives in both indoor and outdoor conditions. Indoors it can be restricted in size because of the pot, however it will still grow substantially taller than what is expected of a root-bound plant and will outcompete surrounding plants for the light. Outdoors that growth is exponential and will grow significantly taller than wide because of its fibrous stalks.

When compared to another Cannabis sativa Hemp variety, ‘CW24’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 33,138), the ‘3 Crop’ grows significantly taller with larger internodes. These prominent internodes and long sturdy stalks allow ‘3 Crop’ to be used for fiber and will tower above other surrounding strains, such as ‘CW24’. The ‘CW24’ leaflets are often more narrow than ‘3 Crop’ and have significantly fewer serrations: 19-29 on ‘CW24’ compared to 33-43 on ‘3 Crop’. The ‘CW24’ flowers are grown closer together due to the shorter internodes which allow the flowers to grow more congested or overlapping throughout the plant while ‘3 Crop’ only begins to have more congested flowers at the apical ends of branches. Additionally, the ‘CW24’ flower is a more compressed oval shape while the ‘3 Crop’ is conical also accentuated by the long, prominent, string-like stigma that protrudes from each individual bud as compared to the shorter ones on ‘CW24’. Along with its uniquely long and prominent stigma, ‘3 Crop’ has a much more pronounced stipule on either side of a leaf or branch node that is almost two times larger than on ‘CW24’ at maturity. Mature ‘3 Crop’ flowers have a sweet, fruity, bubble gum aroma while ‘CW24’ is more earthy and herbal. ‘3 Crop’ has more CBG with 1% compared to non-detectable levels in ‘CW24’. Also, ‘3 Crop’ has a CBD:THC ratio of about 22:1 with CBD around 13% compared to ‘CW24’ of 26:1 with CBD only about 5-8%.

Growth Conditions:

Vegetative Growth Period: 24-hour light continuously. 78° F. and 60% humidity.

Flower Production Period: 12-hour light followed by 12-hour dark cycle repeating. 78° F. and 45% humidity.

Outdoor Growth:

‘3 Crop’ was grown outdoors on a farm in Sonoma County, Calif. The plants were planted as 30-day clones late in the season, Aug. 13, 2020, resulting in earlier flowering and smaller plants. The ‘3 Crop’ plant has the potential to reach a maximum of 10 feet tall and 3 feet wide. Compared to indoor growth, the plant will be more robust and have a faster growth rate with wider leaves. When grown outdoors, the father, W, variety will reach 8 feet tall and 5 feet wide and the mother, U, variety will reach 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide.

Vigor:

Exhibits most vigorous and rapid growth during the vegetative state in which it grows strong, long stalks and stems that extend far upwards. Without maintenance, the plant will continue to grow upwards, noted to grow above our lights in our indoor facility which are set at 6 ft. Once flowering is induced, strong growth is still exhibited but focus switches from stalk development to formation of flowers and seeds. Vigor is exhibited in all conditions, but the focus of the growth will change depending on the plant cycle.

Coloration:

Changes in coloration occur with nutrient deficiencies or other variation in growing maintenance. The color of the leaves will not be consistent for the same plant grown in different conditions so cannot be the distinguishing feature of the plant.

Claims

The invention claimed is:

1. A new and distinct cultivar of hemp plant, named ‘3 Crop’, as herein described and illustrated.