LeafWorks is one of the first herbal genetics company to offer a comprehensive DNA validation system in the hemp and cannabis marketplaces. The US-based plant genetics company, specialising in the botanical identification of hemp, has launched a proprietary test which is expected to save growers a great deal of time and money. The firm’s 99.9 per cent accurate Gender ID Test is designed to solve the time-intensive problem of identifying male plants in the commercial cultivation of hemp and cannabis. LeafWorks aims at providing accessible next-generation science to cannabis and botanical producers so they can grow their businesses, reduce potential for costly fraud, and provide consumers with the information they need to make confident choices.

The practice of screening and removing of male plants is critical as they can ruin harvests with accidental pollination of neighboring females. The standard wait time at present to learn a cannabis plant’s gender can currently be more than five weeks after germination. This period, courtesy of the new LeafWorks’ DNA-based test, can be cut to 14 days. The company offers a test kit which is easy to use, taking five minutes to prepare a DNA sample that is then posted to the firm’s testing facility.

The practice of screening and removing of male plants is critical as they can ruin harvests with accidental pollination of neighboring females.