Self-pollinated cannabis seeds lead to less variation in shape: a technological approach of potential commercial interest

Abstract Background: The breeding process enables plants to inherit desirable traits, such as yield, flowering time, pest resistance, and cannabinoid and/or terpene content. As a result of these intensive genetic improvement practices, where genetically similar individuals or those from the same lineage are crossed, the expression of unfavorable recessive alleles may occur due to homozygosity. This can lead to less productive plants, increased susceptibility to diseases, and reduced quality. Despite the potential negative effects associated with inbreeding, self-pollination (a form