Tochigishiro (original) (raw)

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Strain of hemp

Tochigishiro
Genus Cannabis
Species sativa[1]
Cultivar Tochigishiro
Breeder Itsuo Nishioka
Origin Kyushu University and Tochigi Agricultural Experiment Station in Tochigi, Japan

Tochigishiro (Japanese: とちぎしろ) is a cultivar of hemp grown in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. It meets international standards of non-narcotic agricultural hemp at about 0.2% THC,[2][3] reckoned "remarkably low" by Sensi Seeds.[4] It was grown in the early 20th century at Arlington Experimental Farm near the United States capital.[5] The modern variety was developed beginning in 1973 by Kyushu University professor of pharmacy Itsuo Nishioka from seeds "found in southern Japan",[6] and completed c. 1982 by the Tochigi prefectural government at Tochigi Agricultural Experiment Station in Tochigi-shi.[7][8] According to a National Institute of Mental Health-affiliated researcher, the strain is missing the enzyme tetrahydrocannabinolic acid synthase that makes most Cannabis capable of producing THC.[9] It is the most widely grown cultivar in Japan in the 21st century, being exempt from prohibition under the Cannabis Control Law, due to its low levels of psychoactive chemicals.[10][11] Approximately 90% of the hemp grown in Japan is the Tochigishiro variety (as of 2007).[12]

A research report on an experimental plot at Kitami Agricultural Experimental Station on Hokkaido suggests that it may be the most productive known crop for biomass, yielding 52.7 tonnes/ha in a single season.[13] The crop grows about 3 metres (9.8 ft) tall.[8]

  1. ^ "Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA and Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism analyses of Cannabis sativa".
  2. ^ Kojoma et al. 2002
  3. ^ "Reefer gladness: A brief history of hemp in Japan". Stars and Stripes. April 8, 2018.
  4. ^ "Cannabis in Japan – laws, use, history". Sensi Seeds. April 2, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  5. ^ Manuel Roig-Franzia (May 13, 2010). "Hemp fans look toward Lyster Dewey's past, and the Pentagon, for higher ground". The Washington Post.
  6. ^ Robert Trumbull (September 2, 1973). "Japanese raising pot with no kick: Hemp without drug effect is aimed to thwart thieves most production there". The New York Times. p. 5.
  7. ^ Takashima 1982.
  8. ^ a b Japan Ministry of Health 2016, p. 11.
  9. ^ Waller 1975, p. 458.
  10. ^ Akiko Koga. "Industrial uses targeted for hemp". Japan Times.
  11. ^ Clarke & Merlin 2013, p. 156.
  12. ^ Jun Hongo (December 11, 2007). "Hemp OK as rope, not as dope". Japan Times.
  13. ^ Kikuchi & Moriyama 2016.