Background For millennia, drug-type cannabis strains were extensively used for various medicinal, ritual, and inebriant applications. However, cannabis prohibition during the last century led to cultivation and breeding activities being conducted under clandestine conditions, while scientific development of the crop ceased. Recently, the potential of medicinal cannabis has been reacknowledged and the now expanding industry requires optimal and scientifically characterized varieties. However, scientific knowledge that can propel this advancement is sorely lacking. To address this issue, the current study aims to provide a better understanding of key physiological and phenological traits that can facilitate the breeding of advanced cultivars. Results A diverse population of 121 genotypes of high-THC or balanced THC-CBD ratio was cultivated under a controlled environment facility and 13 plant parameters were measured. No physiological association across genotypes attributed to the same vernacular classification was observed. Floral bud dry weight was found to be positively associated with plant height and stem diameter but not with days to maturation. Furthermore, the heritability of both plant height and days to maturation was relatively high, but for plant height it decreased during the vegetative growth phase. To advance breeding efficacy, a prediction equation for forecasting floral bud dry weight was generated, driven by parameters that can be detected during the vegetative growth phase solely. Conclusions Our findings suggest that selection for taller and fast-growing genotypes is likely to lead to an increase in floral bud productivity. It was also found that the final plant height and stem diameter are determined by 5 independent factors that can be used to maximize productivity through cultivation adjustments. The proposed prediction equation can facilitate the selection of prolific genotypes without the completion of a full cultivation cycle. Future studies that will associate genome-wide variation with plants morphological traits and cannabinoid profile will enable precise and accelerated breeding through genomic selection approaches.

Productivity of grain crops in semi‐arid environments is often affected by drought, which is likely to increase due to predicted climate changes. Wild pea (Pisum fulvum Sibth. & Smith, Pf) accessions sampled across its ecological amplitude in Israel (350–850 mm annual precipitation) were used to assess the genetic diversity for drought responses. We hypothesized that native species evolving under Eastern Mediterranean climate carry adaptive traits to cope with drought stress. Accessions were classified according to single‐nucleotide polymorphism variation pattern and habitat ecogeographic parameters. Significant differences were found between the accession groups, but grouping in both systems did not match. Subsequently, 52 Pf accessions and three domesticated pea (P. sativum L.) genotypes were evaluated during 2 yr under well‐watered (∼580 mm) and water‐limited (∼340 mm) treatments. Total dry matter, grain yield, harvest index, and average grain weight were higher in domesticated pea than wild Pf; however several Pf accessions exhibited lower drought susceptibility indices (i.e., greater stability across environments) than domesticated genotypes. Of special interest are a number of Pf genotypes in which low susceptibility to water stress was coupled with relatively high productivity. The sampling habitats of those low susceptibility–high productivity accessions are characterized by mild (400–530 mm) annual precipitation. Further sampling and evaluation of Pf from such locations may improve our understanding of pea drought adaptation and yield physiology.

In recent decades with the reacknowledgment of the medicinal properties of Cannabis sativa L. (cannabis) plants, there is an increased demand for high performing cultivars that can deliver quality products for various applications. However, scientific knowledge that can facilitate the generation of advanced cannabis cultivars is scarce. In order to improve cannabis breeding and optimize cultivation techniques, the current study aimed to examine the morphological attributes of cannabis inflorescences using novel image analysis practices. The investigated plant population comprises 478 plants ascribed to 119 genotypes of high−THC or blended THC−CBD ratio that was cultivated under a controlled environment facility. Following harvest, all plants were manually processed and an image of the trimmed and refined inflorescences extracted from each plant was captured. Image analysis was then performed using in-house custom-made software which extracted 8 morphological features (such as size, shape and perimeter) for each of the 127,000 extracted inflorescences. Our findings suggest that environmental factors play an important role in the determination of inflorescences’ morphology. Therefore, further studies that focus on genotype X environment interactions are required in order to generate inflorescences with desired characteristics. An examination of the intra-plant inflorescences weight distribution revealed that processing 75% of the plant’s largest inflorescences will gain 90% of its overall yield weight. Therefore, for the optimization of post-harvest tasks, it is suggested to evaluate if the benefits from extracting and processing the plant’s smaller inflorescences outweigh its operational costs. To advance selection efficacy for breeding purposes, a prediction equation for forecasting the plant’s production biomass through width measurements of specific inflorescences, formed under the current experimental methodology, was generated. Thus, it is anticipated that findings from the current study will contribute to the field of medicinal cannabis by improving targeted breeding programs, advancing crop productivity and enhancing the efficacy of post-harvest procedures.