Night-break photoperiod timing shapes growth trajectories, functional phenotype, and biomass partitioning in Cannabis sativa L. in a genotype-dependent manner
- 1Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Abstract
Cannabis sativa L. cultivation in tropical regions or under indoor conditions requires supplemental lighting to maintain plant yields. Night-break (NB) photoperiods offer a cost-effective alternative to conventional day extension, although genotypic responses have not been clearly described. This study evaluated the effects of continuous and pulsed NB treatments on the growth, phenology, physiology, productivity, and cannabinoid accumulation of three Cannabis sativa genotypes representing two chemotypes. Plants were exposed to a commercial 18-h photoperiod (T1), a continuous 1-h NB (T2), or four 15-min NB pulses (T3) with equal total duration. Continuous NB produced responses comparable to the commercial photoperiod. In contrast, pulsed NB accelerated phenological progression by two to three weeks and reduced final plant height by 15-28%, depending on genotype, without impairing photosynthetic performance or decreasing floral dry biomass. Harvest index increased under both NB treatments, indicating enhanced biomass allocation to reproductive structures, while cannabinoid accumulation remained primarily genotype-dependent with only minor treatment-specific modulation. These findings demonstrate that NB efficacy depends not only on the duration of nocturnal light but also on its temporal distribution, highlighting temporal organization of nocturnal light as a key regulator of photoperiodic responses and a promising strategy for optimizing cannabis cultivation.
Related
- Partitioning photoperiod- and chilling-driven cold hardiness in a Vitis riparia × V. vinifera F1 population
- Increasing DLI through photoperiod: a strategy for optimizing functional quality and yield in hydroponic lettuce
- Rapid generation advancement in soybean: approaches, constraints, and the stage-dependent photoperiod window
- Inter‑symbiont horizontal gene transfer and functional partitioning in globally sampled lichen metagenomes
- Diffusion and Partitioning of Macromolecules in Casein Microgels: Evidence for Size-Dependent Attractive Interactions in a Dense Protein System
BibTeX
@misc{rodriguezroncancio2026nightbreak,
title = {{Night-break photoperiod timing shapes growth trajectories, functional phenotype, and biomass partitioning in Cannabis sativa L. in a genotype-dependent manner}},
author = {M. P. Rodriguez-Roncancio and L. C. Castillo-Hernandez and N. Love and L. M. Melgarejo and F. Sarmiento},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.64898/2026.09.29.755452},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.29.755452v1},
note = {CC BY-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Night-break photoperiod timing shapes growth trajectories, functional phenotype, and biomass partitioning in Cannabis sativa L. in a genotype-dependent manner
AU - M. P. Rodriguez-Roncancio
AU - L. C. Castillo-Hernandez
AU - N. Love
AU - L. M. Melgarejo
AU - F. Sarmiento
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/29
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.09.29.755452
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.29.755452v1
AB - Cannabis sativa L. cultivation in tropical regions or under indoor conditions requires supplemental lighting to maintain plant yields. Night-break (NB) photoperiods offer a cost-effective alternative to conventional day extension, although genotypic responses have not been clearly described. This study evaluated the effects of continuous and pulsed NB treatments on the growth, phenology, physiology, productivity, and cannabinoid accumulation of three Cannabis sativa genotypes representing two chemotypes. Plants were exposed to a commercial 18-h photoperiod (T1), a continuous 1-h NB (T2), or four 15-min NB pulses (T3) with equal total duration. Continuous NB produced responses comparable to the commercial photoperiod. In contrast, pulsed NB accelerated phenological progression by two to three weeks and reduced final plant height by 15-28%, depending on genotype, without impairing photosynthetic performance or decreasing floral dry biomass. Harvest index increased under both NB treatments, indicating enhanced biomass allocation to reproductive structures, while cannabinoid accumulation remained primarily genotype-dependent with only minor treatment-specific modulation. These findings demonstrate that NB efficacy depends not only on the duration of nocturnal light but also on its temporal distribution, highlighting temporal organization of nocturnal light as a key regulator of photoperiodic responses and a promising strategy for optimizing cannabis cultivation.
ER -