Genetics determines cannabis potency, flavor, and therapeutic value. Choose the right cultivar, stabilize the right traits, and the chemistry will follow. But a new in-depth biological study suggests that genetics may be only part of the equation.

A recent study published in Frontiers in Plant Science reveals that chromatin accessibility—an epigenetic mechanism that determines whether genes are “open” or “closed”—can significantly influence cannabinoid and flavonoid production, as well as trichome density, without altering the plant’s DNA. In other words, two genetically identical plants can perform very differently depending on how their genes are expressed.

These findings highlight a layer of plant biology that could redefine the next frontier in cannabis production.

Genetics vs. Epigenetics: Why Some Plants Outperform Others

To understand the study’s impact, it helps to distinguish between genetics and epigenetics.

• Genetics determines which genes a plant has
• Epigenetics determines whether those genes are accessible and active

Chromatin—the structure that packages DNA—can exist in either an “open” or “closed” state. When chromatin is open, transcription machinery can access genes and turn them on. When it’s closed, even high-value genes may remain largely silent.

The researchers liken this to a cookbook: owning a recipe doesn’t matter if the page is stuck shut.

Inside the Study: Comparing High- and Low-Trichome Cannabis

The research team analyzed two industrial hemp cultivars with starkly different characteristics:

• One cultivar with dense glandular trichomes
• One cultivar with sparse trichomes and lower secondary metabolite content

They used an integrated “multi-omics” approach, combining:

• Metabolomics (what compounds the plant actually produces)
• Transcriptomics (RNA-seq) (which genes were expressed)
• ATAC-seq (which regions of the genome were epigenetically accessible)

The goal: determine not just what differed between the plants, but why.

How This Differs From Tissue Culture and Genetic “Cleanup”

Tissue culture is already a foundational tool in modern cannabis breeding and propagation. Breeders routinely use micropropagation and meristem culture to eliminate pathogens such as viruses and viroids, stabilize elite cultivars, and preserve valuable genetics over time.

That process addresses plant health and genetic integrity. Epigenetic regulation, by contrast, addresses plant performance.

When a cultivar is cleaned through tissue culture, its DNA sequence remains unchanged, but that does not guarantee consistent expression of cannabinoids, flavonoids, or trichome density once the plant is grown at scale. Two plants derived from the same clean mother can still exhibit markedly different chemical profiles depending on how their genes are activated during development.

This is where the new research adds an important layer of understanding.

The study shows that chromatin accessibility—an epigenetic mechanism—determines whether key metabolic pathways are actually switched on, even when the underlying genetics are identical and disease-free. In high-performing plants, chromatin surrounding flavonoid biosynthesis and trichome development genes is more “open,” allowing those genes to be expressed at higher levels. In lower-performing plants, the same genes exist but remain less accessible.

Simply put, tissue culture ensures breeders are starting with a clean, stable genetic foundation. Epigenetics helps explain why that foundation does not always translate into consistent potency, flavor, or secondary metabolite richness in commercial production.

Rather than replacing tissue culture, epigenetic insights are an opportunity to manipulate a plant’s performance and increase its value. They suggest that the next frontier for breeders and cultivators may lie not only in preserving elite genetics, but also in understanding how cultivation conditions, plant hormones, and developmental cues influence chromatin state and, ultimately, chemical output.

Flavonoids: Directly Controlled by Chromatin Accessibility

One of the clearest findings involved flavonoids, compounds that contribute to color, aroma, antioxidant activity, and therapeutic nuance.

In the high-trichome cultivar:

• Chromatin surrounding flavonoid biosynthesis genes was significantly more open
• These genes showed higher expression levels
• Flavonoids such as kaempferol and quercetin derivatives accumulated at much higher levels

In other words, chromatin accessibility directly governed flavonoid production. When the chromatin opened, the chemistry followed.

For brands focused on full-spectrum formulations or flavor-forward products, this finding is particularly significant.

Cannabinoids: An Indirect Epigenetic Effect

Cannabinoid regulation turned out to be more complex.

While cannabinoid levels (including THC-related compounds and cannabichromene) were higher in the high-trichome cultivar, the chromatin accessibility of the core cannabinoid synthase genes (such as CBDAS and OAC) was not dramatically different between cultivars.

Instead, epigenetics influenced cannabinoids indirectly by activating pathways that control:

• Fatty acid biosynthesis (key cannabinoid precursors)
• Glandular trichome initiation and density
• Flowering and jasmonate hormone signaling

The takeaway: epigenetics doesn’t just control the “factory,” it controls the supply chain and factory size.

More precursors, more trichomes, and greater flowering activity ultimately led to higher cannabinoid accumulation.

Trichome Density is a Critical Epigenetic Lever

Because cannabinoids are synthesized and stored in glandular trichomes, trichome density is a decisive factor in potency.

The study found that genes responsible for trichome development—such as GLABRA2—were both:

• More epigenetically accessible
• More highly expressed

Hormone-responsive genes tied to methyl jasmonate (MeJA), a known trichome stimulant, were also epigenetically activated in the high-performing cultivar.

This suggests that epigenetic regulation of trichome development may be one of the most powerful levers for increasing cannabinoid yield.

Why This Matters for the Cannabis Industry

For cultivators

The findings help explain why identical genetics can perform differently across environments. Light spectrum, stress, hormones, and cultivation practices may influence chromatin state—and therefore chemical output.

For breeders

The study points to epigenetic markers that could complement genetic selection.

For brands and formulators

This research adds scientific weight to the “entourage effect,” showing that chemical complexity is biologically coordinated rather than accidental. It also supports investment in cultivars bred for consistent metabolite expression, not just headline THC numbers.

Cannabis Quality Just Took A Step Up

Ultimately, the study reframes cannabis richness as a three-layer system:

Chromatin accessibility → gene expression → metabolite production.

Rather than asking only which genes a plant carries, the industry may increasingly need to ask which genes are accessible—and under what conditions.

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