DiscOmic Labeling System for Cannabis

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In this article, Marco Troiani and Savino Sguera of Digamma Consulting explain a new labeling system for cannabis consumers and its utility.

The following is an article produced by a contributing author. Growers Network does not endorse nor evaluate the claims of our contributors, nor do they influence our editorial process. We thank our contributors for their time and effort so we can continue our exclusive Growers Spotlight service.

Editor's Note: This is a long contributor article, so I have included links to skip to different sections.

Why is a labeling system needed for cannabis?
How does the DiscOmic labeling system work?
References

Why is a labeling system needed for cannabis?

The purpose of a labeling system is to communicate the contents of a product to an interested observer. The observer could be a prospective consumer about to make a purchase or a producer or broker who is negotiating industrial scale purchases and sales of product.

In many industries, such as food, labeling conventions have been well-established. The FDA has developed very specific guidelines for foods, showing the now famous “Nutrition Facts” label that displays the three basic biomolecular categories: protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Looking at this label, a person can get a sense of what they are about to ingest. For example butter, olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado are all very high in fats. Wheat, potato, corn, rice, and sugarcane are all almost entirely carbohydrates. Meats and beans have very high protein contents. Most nuts are considered as “superfoods” because they contain an even balance of protein, carbs, and fats.

Another example exists in the pharmaceutical industry, which is also regulated by the FDA. The labels for drugs are very different from the food industry. Whereas food represents a living continuum of countless chemical diversity, drugs are designed to ideally have only one or two active ingredients per pill, with the rest made up of an inactive filler. Pharmaceuticals are rather easy to label because all one needs to do is label the dose of the active compound and the consumer knows all they need to know about a particular formulation of a medicine.

Well that’s great, but how does it pertain to cannabis?

Cannabis, when compared to food and pharmaceuticals, is crossing a new frontier in this era of human history -- a fusion of the biological continuum of plants and the analytical and deductive approach of western pharmaceutical medicine. I say “in this era of human history” because, before the modern age, plant medicines and folk wisdom were widespread among different cultures, and in many parts of the world this style of medicine is still widely practiced. But in modern western medicine, removing “unnecessary” ingredients from the final product has long been the goal, precisely zeroing in on the one “true” molecule responsible for its effects. This philosophy led to the pharmaceutical terms of “active ingredients” and “inactive ingredients”. However, as recent scientific interest in the entourage effect has picked up speed, western scientists are findings that combinations of compounds, especially ones that are co-present in naturally occurring organisms, may be greater than the sum of their parts.^{1, 2, 3, 4, 5} One of the major roadblocks to the development of a cannabis-based labeling system is that it does not fit either FDA model. When we try to follow the pharmaceutical model we get dispensaries labeling their products by percentage of THC and occasionally percentage of CBD. Not including the cannabinoid acids, many states are now mandating that other cannabinoids such as CBN, CBC, THCV, CBDV, CBDN should be enumerated in labels as well. Thorough cannabis labeling is becoming more important as other cannabinoids are being bred into strains. CBD interest has increased recently, and interest in THCV has begun to increase as well.

Cannabinoid labeling is not the whole issue when labeling cannabis.

Cannabinoid labeling does not factor in terpenes, of which over 100 have been identified in cannabis. In 2018, any cannabis lab worth its salt can deliver reports on at least 20 terpenes to their clients. The issue is: what do you do with this information? Show all 20 of them to the consumer? Show them all to the producer? Unless you have a biochemist or biostatistician analyzing these numbers, they will most likely overwhelm and confuse the viewer. What this means is that very often a lot of valuable data on cannabis is essentially discarded, as sales and compliance take precedence in the eyes of retailers. Enter the DiscOmic system. Consumers want to know the details about their cannabis, and retailers and producers often have that information, but color coding 30 numbers just isn’t going to work, as it is too confusing to be used intuitively. The DiscOmic system allows an individual to enter cannabinoid and terpene data into a browser or application and generate a simple, easy-to-use label that can represent any sample of cannabis in the world, real or imagined.

How do you use this labeling system?

The DiscOmic system uses the powerful pattern recognition of the human brain to tie together strains with similar profiles. Instead of trying to “teach” the brain what every nuanced terpene in the cannabis sample “means”, we allow the brain to draw broad patterns based on similarities. Because this can be difficult to visualize, let’s examine a few illustrated labels:

Image showing six different samples that were lab tested for terpenes, and their resulting DiscOmic labels. Note the intuitive nature of recognizing self-similarity makes this system very easy to use. Of the six profiles, two showed noteworthy similarity and have been outlined in blue. Viewing the illustrations we can see, without knowing or attempting to decipher what the colors and layers in the DiscOmic label signify, an exact match, a close match, and can confidently tell when there is not significant match. This is because DiscOmic was not designed to be used by scientists but everyday cannabis consumers from all walks of life. Those who can most benefit from this intuitive labeling system are cannabis consumers and cannabis producers:

The consumer can easily memorize a consistent terpene profile in the cannabis they purchase from a dispensary, even as dispensaries routinely run out of certain strains and replace them with new ones, creating a revolving door menu.
Producers also benefit. A scientifically-backed method of demonstrating strain consistency allows producers to sell their products with more confidence and assure intermediaries of the quality and consistency of their products.
Producers can also protect themselves from fraudulent competitors who simply re-name inferior cannabis to match the most fashionable strain at the time. Growers and distributors can defend their product from “generic brand” cannabis and protect their strain’s value over time.

Diagram showing how the DiscOmic label can be display individual terpene content by using the color-coded terpene-group system outlined above. In addition to being useful for similarity comparisons between strains of cannabis, the DiscOmic label can be read to describe the concentrations of individual terpenes or terpene groups in the cannabis sample. The nature of the groupings is determined via statistical analysis of cannabis with enzymology and biosynthesis pathways, which we will cover in greater detail later. The groupings follow this basic scheme:

The inner layer is myrcene (red) vs. ocimene (blue)
The middle layer is terpinenes and carene (purple) vs. limonene and linalool (yellow)
The outer layer is caryophyllene, humulene, nerolidol (orange) vs. pinenes (green).

The greater the radius of the ring, the higher the concentration of the terpenes in that group. Using this system, a viewer of the DiscOmic label can tell what major terpenes are present in the cannabis. This is useful for two main predictions about the cannabis product: flavor and medicinal effect. To be able to use the colors of the DiscOmic label to predict the fragrance of a cannabis sample, the “smell and feel” of each color component needs to be understood by the viewer. To help the viewer better understand the scents of the component terpenes, we have included a chart illustrating these compounds’ scents.

Chart outlining the human qualitative sensations of the major terpenes present in cannabis, color-coded with the DiscOmic label scheme. The chart outlines each terpene as it’s found in nature, and a description of the smell of the isolated terpene. In addition to terpene profile informing on the flavor and fragrance of a cannabis sample, the medical value of cannabis is closely tied to its terpene content. At Digamma, we have built a database with 499 peer-reviewed medical science research papers looking at one or more of the components of cannabis in relation to human disease. Using this database, we have generated six tables showing the weighted contribution of each terpene to treating a set of disorders. This allows software to connect patients with specific disorders and make recommendations based on data derived from the DiscOmic label. The six tables we have summarized cover the following disorders: cancer, anxiety, depression, pain, insomnia, and infections.

Six tables correlate the major terpenes in cannabis with the number of research studies confirming a connection between the listed terpene and the listed disorder. Terpenes have been color-coded to match their DiscOmic groupings. Lists were derived from dataset of 499 peer-reviewed publications and 958 unique cannabis flower samples analyzed for terpene content. In the references we have provided a chart to help connect each terpene by DiscOmic group for those wishing to take a closer look at the scientific literature on the medical effects of terpenes.

DiscOmic Group	Terpene	References
Orange	Caryophyllene	6-34
Orange	Humulene	35-42
Orange	Nerolidol	43-50
Purple	D-Terpinene (Terpinolene)	51-59
Red	Myrcene	60-90
Blue	Ocimene	91-100
Yellow	Limonene	101-145
Yellow	Linalool	146-183
Green	Pinenes	184-200

How does the DiscOmic labeling system work?

There are two critical components to the DiscOmic system: statistical analysis using artificial intelligence (A.I.) algorithms and biochemical enzymology. The AI component explores and discovers relationships between terpene groups, and the enzymology component verifies and validates statistical patterns observed in the data gathered from the studies.

AI Component

The AI component of the DiscOmic system began with simpler observations rooted in competing terpene axes. A competing terpene axis is when two terpenes, though both common at high levels in cannabis, are rarely, if ever, present in large quantities together. This indicates a genetic link, which we will examine in greater detail in the following section addressing enzymology and genetics. Competing axes, when graphed with one axis representing the concentration of each terpene, visually displays the competition between the terpenes (represented by a strong negative correlation). But we’re looking at 23 different terpenes for our dataset. To look at the correlation of every terpene would require generating 253 graphs and analyzing each one individually. In addition to the impracticality of generating 253 graphs for every dataset analyzed, some of the correlations may not be visible when only examining the data in a series of one-to-one relationships. Some patterns are only visible when the sum of one group is compared to another, as is the case with some of the DiscOmic terpene groups. In these scenarios, the amount of terpenes in a group varies widely and seems to have no correlation, but when that group’s data is measured as a sum, very clear patterns start to emerge. We have illustrated two sets of terpene group axes below. This shows how a grouping selection can illuminate patterns in the data that were not previously accessible and would have been less likely to be discovered with a one-to-one relationship approach.

An illustration of the oppositional nature of competing terpene groups in two scatter diagrams. The left diagram compares the sum of the sesquiterpenes caryophyllene, humulene, and nerolidol to the sum of alpha and beta pinene. The right diagram compares the sum of limonene and linalool with the sum of the terpinenes and carene. All data has been normalized based on the dataset. An AI approach that allows for the inclusion of both rapid multi-component comparison and the discovery and identification of stable groupings is a technique called self-organizing maps. In this data analytics technique, the data is plotted with every value treated as an independent axis. Because there can only be three spatial axes and this model uses 23, the data is grouped by similarity in a higher dimensional space. Once the data is scattered out in hyperspace, a process called unsupervised learning begins to collect patterns in the data. The algorithm is unaware of any group labels, and blindly looks for patterns in the hyperspace grouping. The result is that a dataset with 23 variables can be reduced into a dataset with six numbers, without losing significant information. In this way the process can be likened to a data compression program that creates a .zip archive file, because it reduces information in a way that does not lose anything that cannot be reconstructed from the compressed file itself. To better understand how human and robot minds created the six groups in the DiscOmic label system, we will examine some of the self-organizing maps that were created by unsupervised learning algorithms.

A diagram illustrating the concept of a self-organizing map. On the bottom the variables, x₁, x₂, etc, each have a connection to a sample represented on planar grid. The result is a heat map with a hot-spot over the cluster of samples representing the clustering of one of the variables. The concept of a self-organizing map is essentially a plane in a higher dimensional space upon which each variable cluster can be projected. Because a plane is two-dimensional, we can visualize this space, and using colors in a heat map system, we can visualize the diffusion or spread of the clustering as its projection intersects with the plane. For self-organizing maps describing cannabis samples, each unit on the map represents a sample or group of samples. They are organized in the cluster sharing the feature or grouping of features, in this case high concentrations of certain terpenes. The self-organizing map is set to one terpene and the heat-map shows the cluster of that terpene in the grid. As the self-organizing maps of different terpenes are compared, the clustering within the group of samples can be seen readily, and the terpene groups can easily be identified.

Illustration of two planes of cannabis data illustrated as self-organizing maps. The first plane shows only two components, CBDA and THCA. The second plane shows several terpene components which are grouped into opposing or non-overlapping clusters. Examining the terpenoid plane across the major terpenes shows four major cluster spots, roughly corresponding to the four corners of the plane. The diametric opposition of the orange and green groups and the purple and yellow groups is graphically visible in the plane of the self organizing maps. With these 11 two-dimensional images, we have been able to correlate the kind of data that would have taken hundreds of two dimensional images generated with a more-traditional scatter-graph approach.

Enzymology Component

Editor’s Note: The following section is technically complex, be ye forewarned. Once the AI component of the analysis generates tightly-correlated groupings and matches them with competitive groupings, we have the three concentric layers of the DiscOmic system. At this point, we have groupings that make statistical sense, but no underlying biochemical theories that support the observed patterns. In order to add strength to the organizational scheme, we have developed underlying enzymological hypotheses for each of the three rings used in the DiscOmic system. Before we review how the data relates to enzymology in cannabis, let’s do a quick review of enzymology, biosynthesis, and genetics, and how all three relate.

An overview of how enzymes mediate reactions that occur during biosynthesis. Clockwise from top-left: A scheme for an anabolic enzyme that builds chemical bonds; a scheme for a catabolic enzyme that destroys chemical bonds; and an example of a biosynthetic enzyme-mediated pathway of limonene. Here we see a quick overview of the mechanism of enzymes. Enzymes are either anabolic, meaning that they build bigger molecules by forming chemical bonds, or catabolic, meaning they break molecules down by cleaving chemical bonds. In fact many enzymes have activity of both anabolism and catabolism, but every enzyme must be a member of at least one of the two categories. By using combinations of these enzymes that target different bonds and different molecules, nearly any molecule imaginable can be constructed. These linear biosynthetic pathways are the link between genetic information and physical traits. If a genome is a library, genes are like books, and each book is a set of instructions on how to build a specific enzyme or protein. Any physical difference in the enzyme will cause physical differences in molecules made by that enzyme. It is these differences in molecular structure that are the cause of the differences in physical traits in the whole organism. The anabolic process can be thought of as a long assembly line, where each enzyme modifies a chemical bond and then passes the molecule to the next enzyme in the line. This is graphically represented as biosynthetic pathways, like the one illustrated above for limonene. Although humans, for simplicity of interpretation, like to represent the pathway to one molecule as a straight line, the truth is that many molecules are made from common precursors, causing our linear biosynthetic pathways to branch out. Inside the cells of an organism, these pathways happen in parallel at the same time, and the precursor reaction must produce enough precursor to distribute to all the enzymes. If there is not enough precursor to keep every enzyme at full capacity, they compete for available precursors, often with the winners being faster reaction enzymes and the losers being slower reaction enzymes. To better illustrate the complexity of terpene biosynthesis and enzymology, we have constructed a biosynthetic mapping of terpenes and cannabinoids based on the research paper by Rodney Croteau published in 1987 on terpene synthesis.⁶ Although Croteau’s paper did not perform experiments in cannabis plants, the terpene synthesis pathways examined were similar enough to create a biosynthetic landscape within which the enzymological analysis of cannabis could operate.

Map overview of the biosynthesis of terpenes in higher plants. The universal precursor, mevalonic acid pyrophosphate, can be seen in the top-left of the image. Arrows indicate enzymatic transformations and branch out in numerous directions to a variety of terpenes and intermediates. Colors from the DiscOmic system have been used to circle the major terpenes in each terpene group. Editor's Note: Click the thumbnail for a larger image. The complexity and coordination involved in biosynthesis is evident in the above enzymological map. The highlighting of the major terpenes in each of DiscOmic’s terpene group illustrates the complexity of finding these patterns, and why the AI measures described above were necessary for establishing definite patterns. Because the enzymology of terpene synthesis is so complex, we will examine a biosynthetic map that focuses exclusively on the compounds of interest and their common precursors in order to better understand each DiscOmic terpene group.

Enzymology mapping of the relationship between the outer-ring groups 1 and 2. Intermediates illustrated as black circles, and enzymes are indicated in blue. Terpenes are indicated by major group color. The first map, the sesquiterpenes (orange) vs. the pinenes (green) is a straightforward inverse relationship. The best way to chemically explain inverse statistical relationships is to describe a system with a common precursor and two competing enzymes. In this scheme the common precursor is labeled as precursor 1 (or P1). P1 is hypothesized to be geranyl pyrophosphate based on the available data.⁶ Two enzymes, E1 and E2, compete for this precursor to generate intermediates that can either become pinenes or sesquiterpenes. Additional enzymes may mediate the distribution of terpenes within that group, such as E3 and E4 mediating P2, believed to be farnesyl pyrophosphate based on available evidence.⁶ Enzymological models such as this can easily explain the phenomenon where individual terpenes fail to have any correlation but show a strong correlation as a group. This would explain how the total of the group would be a more consistent number than the components, because the components of that group are all derived from a common precursor.

Enzymology mapping of the relationship between the middle-ring groups 4 and 3. Intermediates illustrated as black circles, and enzymes are indicated in blue. Terpenes are indicated by major group color. The second map, the terpinenes (purple) vs. the limonene-linalool (yellow) is also a straightforward inverse relationship. Again, we hope to describe a system with a common precursor and two competing enzymes to explain the observed correlation. In this scheme the common precursor is labeled as precursor 1 (or P1). P1 is hypothesized to be linalyl pyrophosphate based on the available data.⁶ Two enzymes, E1 and E2, compete for this precursor to generate intermediates that can either become terpinenes or limonene-linalool. Additional enzymes may mediate the distribution of terpenes within that group, such as E3 and E4 mediating P2, believed to be alpha-terpinyl pyrophosphate.⁶ Once again, we see a scheme where individual terpenes fail to have much correlation but show tight correlation as a group. The reasoning is based on the stable number of the total, contrasted with the more chaotic competing enzymes that do the “final touches” on terpene synthesis.

Enzymology mapping of the relationship between the inner-ring groups 6 and 5. Intermediates illustrated as black circles, and enzymes are indicated in blue. Terpenes are indicated by major group color. The third map, ocimene (blue) vs. the myrcene (red) is also more complex relationship than was observed in the first or second map. Ocimene and myrcene are not inversely correlated, where the presence of one competes with the other, nor are they directly correlated, where the amount of one is tied to the amount of the other in a fixed ratio. This relationship shows no observable correlation, yet both terpenes are present at such high concentrations that they constitute a substantial portion of a cannabis sample’s terpene content. The lack of correlation between the two cannot be explained very easily, because both are known to be made through the precursor geranyl pyrophosphate.⁶ The best theory that fits the evidence at this time is that both ocimene and myrcene can be made from a common precursor, but each terpene can also be made from derivatives of that precursor.⁶ Now if ocimene and myrcene are made from the exact same precursors, then we would see them in a fixed ratio. But, if ocimene and myrcene are able to interact with different derivatives of geranyl pyrophosphate, then it would allow two independent numbers to be derived from the same baseline value of precursor. What would influence the final number of these two terpenes would be a mixture of enzymes, some affecting the myrcene pathway, some the ocimene pathway, and many having distinct effects on both. This degree of complexity is very common in enzymological schemes, especially in higher plants such as cannabis. With complications such as enzyme promiscuity, a phenomenon where one enzyme can actually cross-catalyze different reactions at different rates, these patterns can become even more challenging to understand. It is for this reason that tools for the consuming public, the cannabis industry, and the cannabis research community, are needed to help humans begin to benefit from the complexities of cannabis, even as the final aspects of our scientific understanding of the cannabis and human organisms are still being discovered.

References

Russo, Ethan B. "Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid‐terpenoid entourage effects." British journal of pharmacology 163.7 (2011): 1344-1364.
Russo, Ethan B., and John M. McPartland. "Cannabis is more than simply Δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol." Psychopharmacology 165.4 (2003): 431-432.
What is Cannabidiol? | Project CBD - https://www.projectcbd.org/science/terpenes/terpenes-and-entourage-effect
CNN | Dr. Sanjay Gupta - https://edition.cnn.com/2014/03/11/health/gupta-marijuana-entourage/
McPartland, John M., and Ethan B. Russo. "Cannabis and cannabis extracts: greater than the sum of their parts?." Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics 1.3-4 (2001): 103-132.
Croteau, Rodney. "Biosynthesis and catabolism of monoterpenoids." Chemical Reviews 87.5 (1987): 929-954.

Additional References

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Digamma Consulting is a full-service laboratory and consulting firm for cannabis. Savino Sguera and Marco Troiani are leading partners for Digamma and have years of experience under their belts. Their market analyses and scientific insights have been well-received here at Growers Network.

Prebuilt Extraction Labs – Not as “Plug and Play” as You Might Think

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FlexMOD Solutions highlights zoning and safety concerns surrounding prebuilt extraction labs, and offers a solution of their own.

Are you about to buy your extraction lab twice? If you’re considering a pre-manufactured extraction lab, it might not come with all the equipment you need. Even worse, it might not pass inspection in your jurisdiction!

Most buyers assume a pre-manufactured extraction lab will have everything they need to pass inspection. And why wouldn’t they? After all, pre-designed units should ensure a safe, compliant workspace. They should, but not all do. Sometimes the issues can be remedied. Sometimes the customer has to start over and purchase another unit or extra equipment.

Here’s where many prebuilt extract labs fail:

Problem 1: Ventilation

The 2018 NFPA Fire Code made important changes to limit gas concentrations in the workspace. The old method of ventilation was based on exhaust rate per square foot. Even if a lab meets the old requirements, explosive gas levels could triple what is allowed by the new standards.That means pre-manufactured labs based simply on exhaust rate ventilation may fail inspection!

Many prebuilt labs also do not include their own HVAC units, nor do they have computer monitoring of explosive gas levels.

Problem 2: Fire-Rated Walls

Not all walls are created equal—or rated the same. Competing units use 18-gauge steel walls that do not have a “one-hour burntime” rating. One-Hour Burn Time refers to the time it takes for fire to penetrate a wall. A one hour fire rated wall is essentially two courses of 5/8 thick drywall. Most municipalities (fire departments) will require this as a minimum for volatile solvent and ethanol extraction areas. If the solvent you keep on-site exceeds allowable tolerance (300lbs) or if you’ve got issues with zoning, you will be required to meet H Occupancy requirements (2 or 3 hour fire rated walls, etc)

Depending on your jurisdiction, hydrocarbon extraction labs will likely need to be one-hour rated. That means you’ll need to finance additional walls to encase your prebuilt lab. And, because many prebuilt lab walls aren’t properly rated, you’ll need to position your “Brand-X” lab several feet away from your facility walls or other equipment.

Problem 3: Assembly and Mobility

If your pre-fabricated extraction lab needs onsite assembly, you’ll need to pay for a third-party contractor.

Additionally, because most pre-fabricated labs need on-site assembly, they need more building inspections. Expect to coordinate with your local inspector for additional structural and mechanical approvals.

Solutions

At FlexMOD Solutions, we receive inquiries from customers whose “Brand-X” labs failed inspection. We’ve taken the time and looked at compliance in almost every state, and come up with a prebuilt extraction laboratory solution that should meet compliance standards everywhere. If you’d like to learn more, please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@flexmod.com or 1.800.869.9798.

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The FlexMOD team understands what it takes to design & build world-class cultivation facilities. FlexMOD clients benefit from our industry expertise, comprehensive research, streamlined process and buying power.

An Introduction to Closed-Loop Aquaponic Systems – Part 1 – Preparing for the Future

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Darryl Cotton of Inda-Gro and 151 Farmers introduces readers to aquaponics -- creating a living system for fish and hydroponically-grown cannabis.

This series of articles will demonstrate how commercial cannabis farmers can optimize their annual crop production values, on a gram per meter basis, and do so in response to new and emerging government-mandated energy and water savings standards.

Why make a closed-loop system?

A closed-loop aquaponics system is an ideal organic design, such that the system sustains itself and doesn’t use harmful chemicals. A closed-loop aquaponics system, by design, will never rely on any nutrient, pesticide, insecticide, or fungicide that could harm the fish or the plants, or those who would consume any of the products produced, in any way. This is because a closed-loop aquaponics system relies on the basic ecological underpinnings of the nitrogen cycle and carbon cycle. By using nutrient-rich fish-water to fertilize and water the plants and the leftover plant matter to feed the fish, you can create a system wherein only a few inputs are ever needed, primarily energy and some of the basic plant nutrients.

Additionally, under increasing government-mandated regulations, the environmental impact of your farm will become vital to your success as a company. What is apparent to cannabis cultivation is that the rules are not yet set in stone, and probably will not be for some time. To the traditional cultivator trying to maintain compliance to these ever-evolving standards, this will represent a real challenge to day-to-day operations that are compliant. In a regulated cannabis industry this will be important because what might have been legal one day may not be the next.

As these articles pertain to cannabis cultivation, we will also employ some not-so-traditional techniques that improve crop quality and yield while reducing our energy, water consumption and times to harvest.

What Being Legal Means to the Cannabis Farmer

It should come as no surprise to anybody in the legal cannabis industry that environmental agencies will play an increasingly important role in determining who can cultivate and who can not.

Don’t misunderstand, we're not saying that environmental protections are a bad thing. What we are saying is that cultivators need to be aware, that within the language of these laws, new and existing governmental agencies will now have authority that will forever change the way we cultivate cannabis. For example, in California, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, aka AUMA, specifically addresses water diversion and wastewater discharge issues. It is within the language of this law, and within the discretion of up to 13 government agencies, to revoke a cultivation license when defending the environment as detailed within the AUMA language in Section 2 - Findings and Declarations paragraph (F):

A reasonably prudent business person must ask themselves, “is all this risk and uncertainty worth the time and the money being spent to maintain compliance?”

Fortunately, the lawmakers recognize that risk, and even warn those who will venture into the industry, that the regulations and the measures are yet to be defined but will need be followed. This may in fact make the entire endeavor “Unreasonably impractical” according to language in AUMA under Division 10, Chapter 1 General Provisions 26001 (2) (dd).

Should the regulations become too burdensome and the business is ultimately forced to close their doors, it cannot be said that you were not warned.

Cannabis Farmers Can Save the Day!

Cannabis farmers are by nature, a creative and resilient group. If you have been cultivating for any significant period of time, you have likely dealt with disease, pest infestation, theft, interdiction, lack of water, and a host of other issues that would have most people giving up and walking away. But that’s not most cannabis farmers.

Cannabis farmers are tough cookies who will work within the law if they intend to stay in business. What many of today’s cannabis farmers are concerned with is whether compliance in a regulated system will be the final straw that puts them out of business. This is an entirely legitimate concern, but we can be environmentally compliant before regulations even come about.

To accomplish that, cultivators need to be at the forefront of any and all energy and water savings strategies. It is through this approach, of leading by example, that we show how to be the good stewards for the planet while not running afoul of environmental agencies who oversee any and all licensed and unlicensed cannabis cultivation activities.

With the cost of power ever increasing and the fact that our aging utility grid is often overloaded during certain times of the year, cannabis farmers will play an increasingly important role in proving how responsible cultivation methods can help set the standards for other industries to follow.

Okay if you’ve made it this far congratulations! In the next part of the article series, we are going to move into the technical aspects of what a closed-loop aquaponic system looks like and how it will serve to address the issues we raised above.

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Applying Traditional Agricultural Technology to Cannabis – A Projection

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Tor Hamer of Equas highlights anticipated advancements in commercial cannabis cultivation as traditional cultivation methods come into play.

Cannabis in the US is experiencing a Renaissance. States, one-by-one are coming online and legalizing cannabis both for adult use and medicinal use. Research shows that marijuana as a whole is not only the fastest-growing industry in the United States, but this business’ statistical rate of growth is unparalleled in US history. It is believed that marijuana is well within four to 11 years away from becoming a standard US crop.

To achieve this success, cannabis companies need not “reinvent the wheel.” Instead they must apply and adapt lessons learned from the proven-successful traditional methods of farming to remain viable in the face of diminishing product values. One of the major areas of cannabis cultivation still largely nascent out is traditional outdoor cultivation. By applying traditional agricultural technologies to the current outdoor cannabis cultivation process, crop yields are predicted to increase while keeping expenditure costs at an exceptional minimum.

Some of the richest ecological environments in the world, tend to be those that are the least disturbed or most pristine. The method of no-till gardening is the most reminiscent of this natural occurrence, building on the philosophy that these natural soils are the foundation for creating a thriving biology within the soil, a process which is compromised when soil is disturbed. No-till gardening is both organic and sustainable, while also offering a safe and efficient way of cultivating cannabis without the need for harsh, harmful chemicals and wasted energy. Fungi, bacteria, nematodes, mites, worms, and other insects all encompass the web of life that can exist in a (nearly) natural, untilled, organic soil medium. Many of these lifeforms create a more bioavailable soil for nutrients, while also actively controlling harmful invasive pest populations, such as spider mites and fungus gnats, through naturally occurring systems. By further studying and practicing natural agricultural methods such as no-till gardening, large capacity, and more, outdoor monocrop cannabis gardening will flourish.

Get it? Flourish?

Tissue culture is a collection of techniques used to maintain and/or grow cells, tissues or organs under sterile conditions on a nutrient culture medium, i.e. artificial plant replication. Micropropagation was introduced by the German scientist Haberlandt as early as 1902 and developed upon extensively over the decades. Between the 1940s and 1960s, the development and improvement of ideas in its use led to the application of tissue culture in five main areas: cell behavior, plant modification and improvement, pathogen free plants and germplasm storage, clonal propagation, and product formation. The general technological advances of the 1990s brought even further expansion of in-vitro technologies to a fast growing number of plant species. These advances aid in the ability to produce greater amounts of cannabis product by allowing cultivators to grow more plants per season per year. By delving further into established methods and knowledge of strain specifics, cannabis crop yields will only continue to grow in the future.

With the ability to grow and regrow a multitude of strains at a much faster rate also comes the ability to focus on all of the compounds that cannabis has to offer. CBD extraction has exploded as a practice over the last few decades. Like micropropagation, CBD extraction made huge strides between the 1940s and 1960s, leading to the first cannabis tincture released for medicinal purposes by the British Pharmacopoeia in the mid 1970s. As more individual states continued to legalize medical cannabis, the United States government, in 2001, patented CBD as a neuroprotectant. With new technologies advancing extraction methods (such as CO₂ supercritical extraction, Rosin presses, and solvent-based methods), the CBD market alone is estimated to grow to incredible new heights: close to a $2.1 billion market by 2020 which is about a 700% increase from 2016.

Cannabis as a business is expanding, and it’s doing so at record-breaking speed. The industry as a whole is projected to grow into a $20.6 billion business by 2020. It’s beyond evident that companies looking to delve into this industry needn’t look outside of the popular farming, cultivation, or extraction methods already established. All it takes is the will to adapt today’s modern technologies to traditional methods.

Sources

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Tor Hammer was born in 1983, and raised in Harlem, New York. He graduated from Penn State University with a B.S in Business Science. He is the Co-Founder of Equas Corp. a bespoke cultivation operation serving the extraction market segment. Equas Corp. boasts an 81k+ sq ft greenhouse canopy located within the Coachillin campus in Desert Hot Springs California.

Is it possible to have too many grow lights?

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Gualala Robotics explains why more lights may be detrimental to an indoor grow, and smarter utilization of your lights can save you money and potentially result in better yields.

Disclaimer

This article was originally published by Gualala Robotics. To see the original article, please click here.

We see this mistake a lot. The thinking goes that more grow equipment is better, right? If light equals yield, then let’s go crazy with our lights. But wait. Is there a downside to having too many grow lights in our grow rooms? The answer is yes, and there is economic and scientific evidence to back it up.

First, we need to consider what is cost-effective and ecological. Many grow rooms are set up with a lot of grow lights and ballasts that need to be purchased up-front. Additionally, all this equipment will need to be replaced over time. Plus, we have the ongoing replacement costs of all those grow lamps. And, to top it all off, we have the monthly electrical costs of all of this excess.

Second, in addition to the fact that using too many grow lights in our grow room setup is horribly expensive and icky for the environment, you can actually get substantially poorer results by using too many grow lights. As a first point of reference, there is an actual limit on the amount of light a plant can use, known as the photosynthetic light-response curve. Should you reach the saturation level of light, or even go beyond it, you may see decreases in efficiency or yield. As a second point of reference, in nature, the sun interacts at different angles over the course of a day. Plants have adapted to this over millions of years, and receive the light at a better rate if plant lights can mimic the sun’s movement. That’s because photoreceptors respond more when the light is very intense, but need to reset. This reset occurs normally when the sun goes off-center for a period of time and then comes back.

How to get around these problems

Grow room lighting doesn’t need to be static. Much like track lights for your kitchen, you can have lights that also move freely to mimic the motion of the sun. By having fewer, more mobile lights, you can cover a larger swathe of the plant canopy with more even illumination. By using grow light movers you can outright remove nearly 30% of your grow lights. Maybe even more.

Realistically, we want to solve two growing problems at once. Grow light systems need to have sun-like intensity, but not cause serious overheating at the canopy level. Many growers may solve the light intensity problem by using too many grow lights at a greater distance.

Instead of relying upon an excess of lights, let’s design the grow room to use fewer lights but more efficiently. And, on top of that, let’s get our grow lights to better mimic the sun. We can get our grow light systems closer, but on a rail system so that heat and light intensity don’t build up too rapidly for the plants. This was the inspiration for our Light Rail system.

Fewer lights, better results

When we use too many grow lights, we can create unnecessary issues. But, with strategic movement systems, we can use fewer lights to receive the same, or even better results. Those results may include faster growth, even canopies, better light penetration, and higher yields. In other words, nature is ideal, and getting as close as possible to nature in the grow room will give us the best results.

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Gualala Robotics Inc first came to light in 1986 in the small coastal town of Gualala, CA and then after seven years, the mover light facility relocated to Steamboat Springs, CO where it remains today as the world’s leading manufacturer of indoor grow light movers for indoor gardening and indoor grow setups.

Why We Love Data: Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture

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Jonathan Feist of Motorleaf outlines how machine learning can help cultivators operate in the most efficient and effective ways possible.

Disclaimer

This article was originally published on Motorleaf's blog. If you would like to read the original article, click here.

How does artificial intelligence and machine learning in agriculture work, exactly?

AI can be simply described as software that can automate manual tasks on the fly. For example, in the case of self-driving cars, software is written to drive a car through traffic without human intervention. This software is designed to instruct machines to brake or turn when an obstacle presents itself, and all this without an actual driver. “But part of that system’s goal is to create a reality in which the self-driving car actually performs better than a human driver,” says Motorleaf’s AI Director Scott Dickson Dagondon, “and with agriculture, we’re looking for the same thing: not just to come up with something to automate human tasks, but rather to improve upon them.”

It is in this spirit that Motorleaf has been using machine learning and artificial intelligence for vegetable yield predictions improvements and optimization.

“We have a solid understanding of the inputs that go into yield prediction today, for different crops, and we’ve designed features that can adapt to different changes in environment,” says Dagondon. “We are at the point now where we have an algorithm that can predict yields weeks in advance in greenhouses over 60 acres in size, and we’re scaling up to more and more locations.”

Looking Ahead

“Since there are no standards in agriculture to compare to, it’s hard to tell when algorithms are precise enough,” says Dagondon. For example, a yield predictive algorithm that works in one specific greenhouse does not necessarily translate to another data set and environment, which makes algorithm training and learning processes more difficult.

But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, thinks Dagondon, as developing an algorithm also builds human expertise. "We’re learning how to farm while looking at numbers, and we begin to understand what the plants need through the data," he says. There are a number of challenges that present themselves when designing machine learning algorithms for greenhouses:

Geographical locations
Changing weather patterns
Varied farming equipment

All of these factors contribute to the difficulty of standardization. By nature, plants are inherently complex organisms, and agricultural environments are unpredictable. If you’ve ever relied on weather predictions for your next camping trip, you’ll understand.

This is all fairly novel technology, especially in the agricultural space. “A lot of people use AI as a buzzword, or maybe are skeptical,” jokes Dagondon, “they’re worried that it will replace farmers and eradicate labour.” The reality is the opposite: no company is directly building machines specifically to eliminate farmers. “There are huge costs involved from transitioning from conveyors and tractors to indoor farms and robots, and there isn’t an unlimited capital availability to make that switch,” says Dagondon.

Still, Dagondon is confident in a solid foundation to build upon. One of the challenges of machine learning is determining when a result is satisfactory, and Motorleaf is hopeful to see how close it can get to perfect yield predictions.

Get in touch if you'd like to know more about in-depth, data-driven insights into the way your crops are growing.

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Jonathan Feist is the Business Development Manager at Motorleaf.

Motorleaf’s $2.85M Seed Round Accelerates AI in Greenhouse Operations

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Leading Investors Back Dynamic AI Technology That Improves Yield Predictions, Maximize Profits

MONTREAL, CANADA – May 15, 2018 – Motorleaf – an artificial intelligence startup focused on bringing actionable, data-driven insights to greenhouse and indoor operators –announced today it has raised $2.85 million USD to further develop its real-time, agronomic solutions for the fast-growing controlled-environment agriculture sector.

The investment, closed in two rounds with the final $2 million USD committed this May, is led by top ag- and food-tech accelerator fund Radicle Growth and includes support from Desjardins Capital, Real Ventures, Fluxunit (Osram Ventures), BDC Capital and 500 Startups Canada.

“Motorleaf is changing the way we grow in greenhouses and indoors with their application of enabling AI anywhere at any time,” says Radicle Growth CEO Kirk Haney. “Their technology has been proven in vegetable production environments and we are investing this capital to help the company scale.”

Motorleaf’s hardware and software hones-in on the human and environmental aspects of greenhouse production, helping to predict accurate harvest amounts in a tight-margin industry. By providing a digital agronomist, Motorleaf’s yield prediction tools help greenhouse operators meet contract obligations, better plan weekly operations and foresee production capacities in real time.

In initial trials with California greenhouse SunSelect, Motorleaf’s technology led to a 50-percent reduction in yield prediction error in tomatoes. These results were enough for SunSelect to adopt Motorleaf’s algorithms after a short trial. However, yield prediction is just the first step in Motorleaf’s solutions for producers.

“Better yield prediction is only the beginning for Motorleaf’s value to this sector,” says Motorleaf CEO Alastair Monk. “We’re ultimately producing dynamic grower protocols, which help manage everything from light and nutrients to predicting crop diseases before they happen, and optimized growing conditions that increase ROI – all based on real-time data.”

The next phase for Montreal-based Motorleaf will take a broad look at greenhouse conditions and apply the technology to multiple crops. The data insights will not be a one-time, static prediction, but allow growers to adjust growing conditions in real time and compensate for the unexpected.

“Motorleaf’s ability to apply automation by adding convenient hardware to preexisting greenhouse control systems makes them not only practical, but ready for today’s greenhouse industry,” says Haney. “The next round of solutions coming out of testing only highlight more of the potential insights this technology brings to the table.”

Motorleaf’s AI program stands to bring applicable, cost-cutting solutions to greenhouses surrounding labor, energy, over/under production and nutrient management. There are 52.3 billion square feet of greenhouses and indoor farms that can benefit from Motorleaf’s technology today.

Haney and Lars Roessler from Fluxunit will join Motorleaf’s Board of Directors, helping the company make connections with key industry players, expanding its global reach and furthering application of the machine learning algorithms in diverse indoor agriculture facilities.

About Radicle Growth

Radicle is an acceleration fund backed by leading AgTech investors including Finistere Ventures, Bayer Crop Science, DuPont Pioneer and OurCrowd. Radicle carefully selects innovative Ag and food tech startups for investment, ensuring that powerful, disruptive technologies reach their full potential. We provide a fertile environment for visionaries in the Ag space, not just to grow but to flourish. Our proprietary platform is the only one of its kind in the agriculture industry, filling a huge void in the market by identifying the most innovative technologies and accelerating them with a range of value- creation initiatives. To learn more, visit radicle.vc.

About Desjardins Capital

Desjardins Capital is a fund manager that offers strategic and financial support to growing businesses and innovative start-ups in Quebec. It specializes in investment capital and venture capital. Desjardins Capital offers tailored financing in the form of a loan or equity. With its team of experts, Desjardins Capital supports the growth of Quebec-based SMEs operating in various industries across the province.

About Real Ventures

Real backs world-class entrepreneurs building game-changing companies, connecting them to local and national ecosystems and helping guide them through their next stages of evolution. The firm invests throughout the life-cycle of early-stage companies and provides stage-appropriate capital and support for the founders it backs. Real believes that VCs should play a role in accelerating the creation of world-class tech ecosystems by providing support beyond the companies for whom it writes cheques. It’s this collaborative mindset that inspires Real to launch initiatives that lay, or build upon, the foundations of rapidly growing tech hubs in Canada, and wherever else the firm may go.

About Fluxunit

Fluxunit is the corporate venture unit of OSRAM. The firm invests in startups with novel technologies and innovative business models, seeking to accelerate companies’ growth by leveraging OSRAM’s leading position in the high-tech lighting industry.

About BDC Capital

BDC is the largest and most active early-stage technology venture investor in Canada, working with promising entrepreneurs and private sector investors to build outstanding Canadian companies. With more than $1 billion under management and almost 30 years’ experience, our venture capital investment professionals know what it takes to help Canadian entrepreneurs realize the full potential of their ideas—for themselves and for their backers.

# # #

CONTACT:

Kayla Hedrick, Grit Marketing, LLC
309-657-1858
kayla@marketingandgrit.com

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Protect Your Floors from Toxic Destruction

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Michael Dzama of Lifetime Coatings explores how to ensure that your facility’s floors don’t become a health hazard.

You’ve spent endless amounts of time planning to build your facility and spent more money than you care to think about. You’ve taken all the precautions to insure you have the best equipment to grow your plants. But have you considered the floor underneath your very feet?

Fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and constant exposure to water wreak havoc on concrete, brick, and other surfaces. In a 168 page study posted by the University of Mary Washington in Athens, Georgia entitled The Effect of Herbicide on Stone and Masonry, it was clearly demonstrated that mortar-based flooring such as concrete will show a marked decay when treated with pesticides, even if only exposed once or twice a year.

The same study indicates that most fertilizers/pesticides are salt based, producing efflorescence on the surface and in the pores and cracks of the masonry. When this salt forms, it expands into the substrate materials, thereby widening any crevices, cracks, and pores within the material. The salt can be washed away by water/rain but not before damage is done. Larger openings provide sizeable spaces for water, dirt, and vegetation to get into and further deteriorate the material, which could eventually lead to structural failure.

If you just spent a fortune on a new facility or refurbishing an older one, you might rightly ask what your options are to protect your floors. Most people are aware of epoxy-based floor paint as a protective barrier, but are there some risks to it. Consider this, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has clearly stated on their website that working with or exposing oneself to certain epoxies or resins could increase your chances of lung tumors, fertility problems, miscarriage, stillbirth or birth defects. The CDC goes on to explain that epoxies contain glycidyl ether, which the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) believes to possibly have adverse effects on the testes and the hemopoietic (blood forming) system in workers exposed to glycidyl ethers. Many glycidyl ethers are also carcinogenic.

The sad truth is that manufacturers are not required to list these harmful toxins. The CDC states that occupational exposure to glycidyl ethers results from the use of proprietary or trade name products, which do not disclose the presence of toxic agents in their formulations. This complicates efforts to take appropriate precautionary measures for the prevention of occupational diseases. The following is a copy of the MSDS statement pulled from the website of an off the shelf epoxy coating found in a major hardware store:

EFFECTS OF OVEREXPOSURE - CHRONIC HAZARDS: Prolonged or repeated overexposure may cause lung damage. Effects of overexposure may include irritation of the nose and throat, irritation of the digestive tract and signs of nervous system depression (e.g., headache, drowsiness, loss of coordination and fatigue). Contains carbon black. Chronic inflammation, lung fibrosis, and lung tumors have been observed in some rats experimentally exposed for periods of time to excessive concentrations of carbon black and several insoluble fine dust particles.

The current landscape for growers is ever-changing. If cannabis regulations go the way of food production facilities, having harmful toxins in your floor coating could cause long term liability issues, such as the health of your employees, crop destruction and the remodeling of your facility. If you want to prevent the decay of floors, and avoid the high cost of replacing them and potential health hazards, there are alternatives.

Instead of using potentially carcinogenic epoxies, there is a simpler solution that uses a natural mineral known as gypsum in combination with castor oil and silicates to provide a safe, long-lasting coating for floors. You can protect your facility while doing something good for yourself, your employees, and our planet. Gypsum is a natural mineral that is fire resistant and relatively inexpensive. Castor oil is a widely used coating that is safe and non-toxic.

If you’d like to learn more, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Our coatings contain all-natural materials, plus no VOCs and or BPA. There's no toxic off-gassing and our coatings hold an NSF61 certification safe for water containment and food grade production.

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Michael Dzama is the President/CEO of Lifetime Green Coatings

Lighting Uniformity: Critical to optimizing yields

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Flip Sheridan of Cycloptics explains how the distribution of light from a luminaire is important in plant yield and size.

Introduction

Editor’s Note: This article uses a lot of technical terms! Be ye forewarned.

Regardless of the type of lighting system you choose (CMH, HPS, MH or CMH/HPS hybrid, LED), it is important to understand before purchase and installation how well the reflectors and luminaires will deliver a uniform PPFD (photosynthetic photon flux density) measured as µmol/m²/sec over the plant canopy as it changes over time. The uniformity of the target minimum PPFD intensity over the full plant canopy is critical to optimizing the dry weight yield per plant, which translates into increased profits per harvest.

Think of it this way. If each of the lamps you are evaluating produce the same PAR (micromoles/second) output, then the average PPFD light uniformity over the full canopy throughout the veg or flower cycles will be determined by the interaction the beam patterns from all the reflectors in the room. This is especially true for hybrid systems where the uniform homogenization of the CMH spectrum with the dominant HPS is key to optimizing the yield per plant¹.

The efficiency of any prescribed nutrient regiment is also directly affected by light uniformity. Over the course of a year, plants receiving low light compared to the targeted PPFD average will consume more nutrients and that will unnecessarily impact profits.

Beam Patterns of HID Lights

Reflectors use horizontal or vertically mounted lamps. The beam pattern of a typical 1000W DE HPS, 630W DE CMH, or 945W DE CMH lamp reflector is rectangular, designed to provide approximately 4x6 foot coverage at 3 feet. These systems depend on overlapping beams from adjacent reflectors to fill in around the edges of the hot-spot directly below each light. Hot spots are the result of light emitted by the lamps arc tube exiting directly downwards without interacting with the reflector. Hot spots create uneven plant growth that negatively impacts dry weight yields and increased nutrient demand from the under lit plants.

The beam pattern of Cycloptics vertically mounted 315W CMH reflector is the exception. The 3D compound curve geometry of the Greenbeams® patented reflector is the reason. Its 360-degree radial, high beam pattern was specifically designed to reflect off the walls of walk-in plant research growth chambers to create highly uniform, average PPFD intensity. It also means the plants receive light from an infinite number of beam angles that improves intra-canopy light penetration and uniform plant growth. This theory was studied and found to be true at Cornell University.²

The ultimate result of this design is the ability to deliver 3D Full Volume Uniformity from the starting canopy height to the harvest height as shown in the model above for a 20x30 grow room. The average intensity and wall to wall uniformity over the full area of the room is virtually unchanged from a 46” off the floor starting canopy height to the ending 62” height. Plants are not static objects, and the canopy will move as they grow.

A side-by-side comparison of 315W and 630 (2x315W) CMH reflector patterns measured over a open 4x4 plane at 24”. On the left is Greenbeams beam pattern. Notice the significant difference in uniformity compared to generic brands of 2x315W horizontal CMH and vertical 315W CMH/LEC reflectors.

Lighting Height and Room Reflectivity

The grow room ceiling height relative to the ending harvest height of the cannabis strains in the room are other factors that should be considered during the design phase. Diffuse and specular surfaces are the two types of wall covering materials that can be used or applied to grow room walls. The differences between the two types of surface determine how the light that lands on them is reflected.

Light that lands on diffuse surfaces, like white paint or power-coated aluminum, reflects in every direction, including the ceiling. The reflectivity of high-quality flat, white paint is approximately 90% reflectivity with a drop off in the 600-700nm (red) range. By comparison, diffuse white ORCA® grow film is 94% reflective over the full spectrum.

Light landing on a specular surface is reflected at an angle opposite to the angle of incidence. This means the light will reflect downward onto the canopy in the case of indoor plant production lighting. Overall, this reduces light wasted on the ceiling from diffuse white walls. Examples of specular surfaces are polished aluminum or stainless-steel metal that are typically 85% reflective, and RadiantGuard® film at 95% reflectance. When designing a room with suspended lights you may want to consider applying RadiantGuard® to the walls as an inexpensive and easy way to improve energy efficiency.

In summary, to optimize dry weight yields it is critical that the lighting system you select delivers the best uniformity of average PPFD intensity over the full plant canopy for all growth phases.

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Flip Sheridan is CEO of Cycloptics and an active member of NCERA-101 and AERGC. The optics of the patented Greenbeams 315W CMH reflector were designed in 2010 using proprietary software and with assistance from Cornell University as part of a USDA grant.

KB Labs – Arizona and Nevada

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Mike and Bo of KB Labs take us on a ride in their sweet mobile laboratory. Incredible design goes into making a fully functional lab on wheels!

The following is an interview with industry experts. Growers Network does not endorse nor evaluate the claims of our interviewees, nor do they influence our editorial process. We thank our interviewees for their time and effort so we can continue our exclusive Growers Spotlight service.

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Abbreviated Article

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5-Minute Snapshot

Mobile Laboratory

What was the inspiration behind a mobile laboratory?

The concept originated when we put ourselves in the growers’ shoes. We asked what was the most frustrating experience for growers when using laboratory testing. Here’s some of the biggest complaints we saw:

Waiting for results meant stock value slowly depreciated.
Feeling like samples for testing went into a magic black box and results were unpredictable.
All the legal concerns associated with shipping samples.
Potential human error from samples getting mixed with other growers’ samples.

The logical solution to these problems was a mobile laboratory. So we took the idea and introduced it to Shimadzu. At first they were skeptical, but after nearly a year building our prototype, it’s hard to be prouder with the results. Shimadzu regularly sends their representatives to learn about the vehicle. Now, we can park our van in front of a greenhouse and basically become an extension of the client’s business, while still being an independent, third party testing service. Clients don’t have to ship their samples, they can ask questions of our techs and learn about the testing services and requirements, and they get same-day results.

What makes the mobile lab unique?

We’re the first and only mobile analytical lab in Arizona, as far as we know. We can go to a client’s business and do the testing on-site and get same-day results for them. We can do analysis on every test currently required by Nevadan law, including:

Potency (cannabinoids)
Terpenes
Residual Solvents
Pesticides - Both fungicides and insecticides
Microbiological plating screens

We can show every client where the specimens are going, and we only ever use samples from the client’s grow. It’s the difference between getting a suit made by a tailor, or buying one off the shelf. We’re the tailor.

What kinds of concerns would a truly mobile lab have?

Great question, so a few things are concerns:

Physical size of the lab
Technical constraints of the lab
Insurance for the vehicle

Physical Space and Technical Constraints

Two machines are going to be required for laboratory testing regardless of what we do (HPLC and GC-MS). So we designed the interior of the lab around these two machines, and then expanded outwards. Some included in the van were:

Space for two lab technicians to work.
Fume hoods. We don’t want our technicians to accidentally be hotboxing.
Microbiological screening equipment for full service.
Air conditioning and a generator for off-the-grid clients.
Standard laboratory equipment, such as centrifuges and fridges/freezers.

Insurance

Because we invested over $1 million into this van, we don’t want to lose our investment in a collision or some kind of accident. This is niche market, so we used a service like Lloyd’s of London to underwrite the insurance for the van. The premium is a bit heftier than it might otherwise be for a normal item, but we expect our premium to gradually diminish.

The Business

What has been the reception for the mobile lab?

We’re one of the first to market with this concept. We’ve repeatedly heard the phrase that it’s a “game-changer,” and many have requested show-and-tells with us to see the unit. The overall response we’ve gotten is quite impressive. We’re picking up more and more clients as people try out the service.

What advantages might a mail-in lab have over a mobile lab?

The only advantage a mail-in lab might have over us is in the pricing department, and even then that difference isn’t too significant. Most growers worry more about the lost profits of sitting on their stock than the amount they pay for a laboratory testing. The only time a producer might not have this concern is if they are an edibles producer, because their stock tends to be significantly more shelf-stable. They don’t gain any advantage from same-day results if their stock doesn’t depreciate nearly as quickly as raw flower or extracts.

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Mobile Laboratory

Your company has gotten a lot of attention for the mobile laboratory. What was the inspiration behind having a mobile laboratory?

The concept actually originated when we put ourselves in the growers’ shoes. We asked ourselves… what would be the most frustrating experience as it pertains to laboratory testing? Here’s what we came up with:

Sitting on your stock for a month, as it gradually loses value (because it’s an agricultural product) while you wait for results.
Feeling like your samples for testing are going into a magic black box, and not being certain why you’re failing or passing.
Shipping samples to laboratories and all the legal concerns associated with shipping your samples.
Potential human error from your samples getting mixed with other growers.

So after we identified these issues, we asked ourselves what the solution was. And the logical conclusion was a mobile laboratory. We were aware that the military has mobile analytical testing units designed for testing soil around nuclear facilities and potential chemical hazard sites, so we knew that the technology existed.

So we took the idea and introduced it to Shimadzu. At first they were skeptical, but they agreed to give it a try and help us out. It took nearly a year to build our prototype (the current version), and it’s hard to be prouder with the results. Even Shimadzu regularly sends their representatives to learn about the vehicle and what we did with it. Now, we can park our van in front of a greenhouse and basically become an extension of the client’s business, while still being an independent, third party testing service. Clients don’t have to ship their samples, they can ask questions of our techs and learn about the testing services and requirements, and they get same-day results. We can even help smaller growers out who want to do laboratory testing before the final samples, but can’t afford their own personal lab. We plan on adding more vans to our fleet and expanding our operations to Nevada and California. As cannabis spreads across the states, we hope to expand elsewhere too.

What makes the mobile lab unique?

Potency (cannabinoids)
Terpenes
Residual Solvents
Pesticides - Both fungicides and insecticides
Microbiological plating screens

We’re fully ISO 17025 compliant as well. We can show every client where the specimens are going, and we only ever use samples from the client’s grow. Normal brick-and-mortar laboratories will often run several companies’ samples together in order to most efficiently use their systems and their standards (which are expensive), and this can result in human error. With our system, we are only getting samples from one source. It’s the difference between getting a suit made by a tailor, or buying one off the shelf. Now, some have also asked us about conducting sampling for our clients (Editor’s Note: It was meeeee). Currently, there aren’t any state laws that required third party sampling practices, but we are equipped or can equip ourselves to do so should that ever become required at some point. Most clients don’t ask for it currently.

What kinds of concerns would a truly mobile lab have?

Great question, so a few things are concerns:

Physical size of the lab
Technical constraints of the lab
Insurance for the vehicle

Physical Space and Technical Constraints

As far as the physical size and space in the lab goes, we had to take several things into consideration. Namely, two machines (HPLC and GC-MS) are going to be required for regardless of what we do. So we designed the interior of the lab around these two machines, and then expanded outwards. Some of the things we also wanted to include in the van were:

Space for two lab technicians to work, as laboratories work best when technicians can cross-check each other’s work.
Fume hoods. We don’t want our technicians to accidentally be hotboxing from the fumes produced by the various pieces of equipment.
Microbiological screening equipment for the full-service experience.
Air conditioning and a generator in case our clients are growers who are off the grid.
Other useful laboratory equipment, such as centrifuges, fridges/freezers, and all the tools that accompany most labs.

We built small-scale mock-ups of the van beforehand, which helped determine what we could and couldn’t live without, and we ended up with something a bit like a food truck that was capable of doing testing, instead of kitchen work.

Left: Modern GC-MS machine | Right: Modern HPLC machine

Insurance

Insurance is another big concern important to such a vehicle. Because we invested over $1 million into this van, we don’t want to lose our investment in a collision or some kind of accident. Because this is a new product to market in a (currently) niche market, we used a service like Lloyd’s of London to underwrite the insurance for the van. Because it is the first of its kind (that we know of), the premium is a bit heftier than it might otherwise be for a normal item. But, we expect that as the idea catches on more, our premium will gradually diminish.

The Business

What has the reception looked like for a mobile lab?

Truthfully, we’re one of the first to market with this concept. We’ve repeatedly heard the phrase that it’s a “game-changer,” and many have requested show-and-tells with us to see the unit. Even Shimadzu keeps sending out their representatives to learn about the unit. The overall response we’ve gotten is quite impressive. We’re picking up more and more clients as people try out the service.

What’s your opinion on establishing in-house labs for regular customers?

We’re not opposed to consulting for clients, but that’s not our main focus. When we started KB Labs, we decided that our focus was going to be on helping our clients in the most efficient way possible. Other laboratory services occasionally delve into research (such as Steep Hill) or into consulting, but we’re focused almost exclusively on our clients. There’s several reasons we chose this route:

Our clients will always need third-party testing, due to regulations and conflicts-of-interest if they build their own lab.
The initial investment into building an in-house laboratory for most growers is too great a cost. For the larger growers out there, it’s reasonable to establish one, but for most growers it’s just not economical.
Laws and regulations around laboratories require a significant amount of effort to stay up-to-date with. Expanding our business into other pursuits might lead to unforeseen consequences. We want to stay focused on the work that brings the most value to our clients.

What advantages does a mail-in lab have over a mobile lab?

About KB Labs

Tell me about KB Labs.

KB Labs is short for “Kanna-Bosm Labs LLC”. Kanna-Bosm comes from the Hebrew Bible, and it means “stick of incense”. Cannabis was traditionally used in ancient Hebrew culture to make holy anointing oil, as well as the traditional uses for hemp as a fiber for clothes and rope. Editor’s Note: The spelling of “Kanna-Bosm” in the original text differs depending on your translation, sometimes it’s spelled Kaneh Bosm, Keneh Bosem, Kineboisin or Q’aneh Bosm. What sets us apart is that we are the first and only mobile analytical laboratory in Arizona. All other laboratories we have seen are brick and mortar. Because we are mobile, we can go to clients’ businesses and perform testing on-site. We spent over $1 million to equip our van with top-of-the-line Shimadzu Analytical equipment so that we can perform every laboratory test required by the law in Nevada and Arizona, and hopefully California. Our clients can see exactly what we do with each specimen and watch as we work, if they feel so inclined.

Tell me about yourself and your history with medical cannabis in Arizona.

Bo Lerer: I was born in Israel, but I’ve lived in Arizona for over 30 years now, and I originally came from the healthcare industry. I started in pharmaceuticals with Bristol-Meyers for several years, and eventually went on to work in the cancer diagnostics market. During that time, I decided to start my own business that was a molecular diagnostics lab for doctors. I eventually decided to start KB labs with the focus of serving the cannabis industry. I made sure that KB labs was up to the same standards that the medical laboratories I worked with were. Mike Kiselnik: I’ve been an Arizona native for over 20 years now. I say native, I moved to the state a long time ago, but feel like a native. In my adult years, I saw one of my friends who served in the armed forces get stuck in an opioid addiction loop. It was pretty awful. Eventually, he managed to break the cycle with cannabis. It treated his pain and his addiction at the same time. Seeing that transformation made me do my own research, and I saw that there was a need for laboratory services for cannabis producers in Arizona. I knew Bo from a while ago, and together we worked on the idea for a mobile lab.

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About the Author

Hunter Wilson is a community builder with Growers Network. He graduated from the University of Arizona in 2011 with a Masters in Teaching and in 2007 with a Bachelors in Biology.