A joint research project could prove to be a game-changer for New Zealand’s cannabis industry. Rua Bioscience and the University of Waikato have announced a two-year research program to investigate the application of hyperspectral technology to the cultivation and assessment of medicinal cannabis. The cannabis testing industry is expected to be worth $2.5bn (USD$1.8 billion) by 2025, mainly due to global demand for medicinal cannabis. However, current analytical methods presented significant challenges for commercial cannabis growers. Testing required the destruction of some products, was expensive and the turn-around of results meant delays in decision-making. Researchers at Rua Bioscience and the University of Waikato hoped real-time monitoring using hyperspectral imaging would change that, with the potential to transform the way the global medicinal cannabis industry qualified, assessed, and managed its crops. What is hyperspectral technology? Hyperspectral technology involved imaging that collected and processed information from across the visible and near-infrared spectrum.
Author, Weed World Magazine, 06/29/2021 20:00:00