A new «autoflowering» hemp variety added to the European catalog

The European Commission has approved a new variety of autoflowering hemp, which, according to its developers, could be a game-changer for farmers in cold regions.

According to CBD Seed Europe, which has registered these feminized, autoflowering CBD hemp seeds, these seeds will not only lower the barrier to entry for farmers hoping to break into the market, but also enable those living in the colder climates of Northern Europe, such as the United Kingdom, to significantly reduce the costs of growing hemp and extracting CBD.

Americo Folcarelli, founder of CBD Seed Europe, spoke to Business Of Cannabis : «I am very proud of the hard work of our breeders and our genetic research team, who have managed to achieve what everyone thought was impossible under the European Union’s strict requirements.»

In France, these seeds are available exclusively at France Botanique.

What is an autoflowering seed?

Cannabis sativa plants are traditionally «photoperiodic» species: they rely on changes in the duration of light and darkness to trigger flowering.

In nature, plants bloom toward the end of summer, when the days grow shorter. For growers—especially in colder climates with less sunlight—one of the most significant and costly challenges is controlling the lighting environment.

However, as their name suggests, self-seeding species are capable of transitioning from the vegetative stage to the flowering stage based on their age and overall growth, without being dependent on changes in lighting cycles.

This transition typically occurs between two and four weeks after germination, and for the CBD Seed Europe product, the total growth period is 75 days.

While these seeds have been readily available in North America for some time, the European Union’s stricter quality control procedures have, until now, prevented them from being legally available.

Mr. Folcarelli explained to Business of Cannabis: «One of the main obstacles to listing a genetic seed in the European Union catalog is that it must be very, very stable. This means there cannot be a wide range of phenotypes.»

«As a general rule, the autoflowering varieties »They pose these kinds of problems and exhibit five or six different phenotypes. We've managed to reduce the number of phenotypes to the point where, technically, there are three, but it's impossible to distinguish them from one another."

In Europe, all seeds—whether hemp or tomato seeds—must undergo a two-year registration process to be included in the common catalog, and producers are subject to regular audits to ensure that the seeds continue to meet the standard.

Pros and Cons of Autoflowering

These Autoflowering varieties offer a number of advantages for farmers. Since they are less dependent on light, they allow for cultivation during the winter months. They are also much better suited for outdoor cultivation, where lighting conditions cannot be precisely controlled.

For those who grow plants indoors, reducing the amount of light required can significantly lower growers' expenses and carbon footprint.

In addition, the short life cycle allows farmers to grow several crops in a single season, while the compact size and rapid flowering make it possible to plant the crops more densely, thereby doubling the number of plants that can be grown.

These combined factors make autoflowering varieties much more appealing for farmers who are growing hemp for the first time.

Of course, there are also disadvantages compared to traditional varieties. As described above, the genetics of autoflowering varieties may be less stable, resulting in greater variation among individual plants and a wide range of phenotypes.

While the automatic nature of the flowering process has its advantages, it also means there is less control, which limits the ability to adjust plant size or address issues such as topping or pruning.

Although plants can be grown much more densely, autoflowering plants tend to produce lower yields and often have lower CBD levels than traditional photoperiod varieties. But CBD Seed Europe also secured approval for CBD hemp seeds whose plants produce up to 12% of CBD while remaining below 0.3% of THC.