Evaluating the Industrial Potential of Domestic Hemp Cultivars for Medical Production

This study evaluated the industrial production potential of domestic hemp cultivars by analyzing their growth characteristics, biochemical compositions, and cannabinoid profiles under controlled conditions in Korea.Five hemp cultivars (two domestic: V1, V4; three foreign: Cherry Blossom, Hot Blonde, Queen Dream) were cultivated for 15 weeks in a closed-type growth chamber.Their morphological parameters, antioxidant activities, and cannabinoid concentrations were systematically analyzed.The results revealed distinct production strategies for these cultivars.Domestic cultivars exhibited a 'high biomass' strategy, with V4 achieving the greatest shoot height (78.0 cm) and yielding 3.06 and 2.89 times higher dry weights of inflorescences and stems, compared to foreign cultivars.In contrast, foreign cultivars followed a 'high-potency' strategy, reaching peak levels of cannabidiolic acid and tetrahydrocannabinolic acid during the mid-flowering stage (weeks 5-7).Although domestic cultivars displayed lower cannabinoid concentrations per unit weight owing to the dilution effect of vigorous growth, they maintained total THC levels consistently below the 0.3% regulatory threshold.This stability offers a critical compliance buffer for industrialscale production, minimizing the risk of crop destruction owing to regulatory breaches.Furthermore, antioxidant properties (total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and DPPH radical scavenging activity) were not significantly different between the groups.Given the abundant leaf biomass of domestic cultivars, this suggests a high potential to upcycle vegetative by-products into functional antioxidant materials.Consequently, despite the lower cannabinoid concentrations, the high biomass and stable THC levels of domestic cultivars demonstrate their high potential for industrial-scale extraction and regulatory-compliant medical applications.