With the right combination of rare and potent weed, breeders can create strains that are even more powerful than their parents. This is known as exotic genetics, and it’s why cannabis consumers have been seeing more of these strains in dispensaries around the country. Exotic strains typically contain high amounts of delta-9 THC, the intoxicating phytocannabinoid that gets you buzzing. Exotics also tend to increase appetite and deliver a strong, body-relaxing effect.
What type of strain is Stardawg?
The most successful cannabis cultivators are those that can consistently produce strains with unique flavors and impressive potency. One such breeder is Washington State-based Exotic Genetix. With more than 50 awards since their inception, this company has cemented itself as a leading seed producer in the cannabis industry. Exotic Genetix’s catalog of strains is rich in diversity, from their delightful Cookies and Cream to earth-shattering Kimbo Kush.
As next-generation sequencing technology continues to evolve, it may become possible to pre-adapt exotics faster than the current system that requires 10 years of selective breeding for pre-adaptation. This could make it easier to incorporate valuable exotic alleles into elite varieties, while simultaneously reducing linkage drag and selecting for complex quantitative traits (QTL)—which are typically affected by multiple alleles, as well as environmental factors.
In addition, this advancement may allow for the exploitation of wild crop relatives to help accelerate the development of new cultivars. This would open a new avenue of exploring the potential of genetic libraries in other crops, as well as improving the performance of existing cultivars through incorporating exotic alleles to overcome their limitations.