A Comprehensive Review of Cannabis as a Crucial Pharmaceutical Plant and Its Efficient Propagation Methods

Abstract

Agricultural products have been a very important factor in transforming humankind from hunter-gatherer to farmer throughout human civilization. In this regard, the production of various crops with therapeutic and nutritional values has been of interest in different societies. Industrialization of agriculture, limitation of natural resources, and population growth highlighted the importance of producing valuable species of medicinal plants. Cannabis is considered a medicinal plant, whose proliferation and mass production have attracted a lot of attention in recent years. The demand for the use of cannabis in the pharmaceutical and food industries is increasing significantly. Various methods of propagation and mass production have accordingly become the most important medicinal aspects of cannabis production. Despite the current achievements in improving cannabis production through the introduction of new varieties and different propagation methods, the development of large-scale micropropagation and modern breeding strategies, as well as the genetic conservation of this plant, should be given more attention. However, the application of plant biotechnologies requires high-throughput in vitro culture systems that enable the transformation and development of new cannabis varieties on a large scale. The present review summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of common methods of sexual and asexual propagation of cannabis seedlings.