Blog: Breeding for Minor Cannabinoids.

Published 10AM EST, Fri Feb 02, 2026

Beyond THC and CBD: Why Minor Cannabinoids Matter Now

For two decades, the cannabis industry has operated on a remarkably narrow chemical vocabulary. THC for recreational potency. CBD for wellness. These two compounds have driven nearly all breeding investment, consumer marketing, and regulatory frameworks—while more than 100 other cannabinoids produced by the plant have remained in the background, measured in trace percentages and treated as curiosities rather than commercial opportunities.

That equation is changing rapidly. A convergence of consumer demand for functional differentiation, advancing extraction technology, growing research evidence, and maturing breeding capabilities is pushing minor cannabinoids from the margins to the center of cannabis product development. The projected U.S. cannabinoid market is expected to exceed $25 billion by 2030, with minor cannabinoids identified as a primary growth driver.

But here is the critical distinction that separates genuine opportunity from industry hype: producing minor cannabinoids at commercially viable concentrations requires genetics specifically bred for the purpose. You cannot simply extract meaningful quantities of CBG, THCV, or CBC from standard THC- or CBD-dominant cultivars. The plant’s biosynthetic machinery actively converts the precursors of these compounds into the major cannabinoids. Changing that outcome requires intervening at the genetic level—and that is where advanced breeding science becomes essential.

The Biosynthetic Bottleneck: Why “Minor” Does Not Mean “Simple”

Understanding why minor cannabinoids are minor requires understanding how the plant makes cannabinoids in the first place. Every cannabinoid the plant produces originates from a single precursor: cannabigerolic acid (CBGA). This molecule—sometimes called the “mother cannabinoid”—sits at the top of a branching biosynthetic pathway.

As the plant matures, three competing enzymes act on CBGA to convert it into different products. THCA synthase converts CBGA into THCA (the precursor of THC). CBDA synthase converts it into CBDA (the precursor of CBD). CBCA synthase converts it into CBCA (the precursor of CBC). The relative activity of these three enzymes—determined largely by the plant’s genetics—dictates its chemotype.

This is the fundamental bottleneck. CBGA is a shared substrate for all three pathways, and the enzymes compete for it. In a typical THC-dominant cultivar, THCA synthase is highly active and efficiently converts nearly all available CBGA into THCA. By harvest, residual CBG content is typically below 1%. The same principle applies in CBD-dominant varieties, where CBDA synthase dominates the conversion.

For breeders targeting minor cannabinoids, this competition is the central challenge. Elevating one compound requires either reducing the activity of competing enzymes, increasing the total pool of precursors, or finding genetic variants that shift the balance of conversion in favorable directions.

The Cannabinoid Pathway at a Glance

Precursor	Enzyme	Product	Decarboxylated Form	Typical Flower %
CBGA	THCA Synthase	THCA	Δ9-THC	15–30% (THC varieties)
CBGA	CBDA Synthase	CBDA	CBD	10–20% (CBD varieties)
CBGA	CBCA Synthase	CBCA	CBC	<1% (most varieties)
CBGA	(Residual/unconverted)	CBGA	CBG	<1% (most varieties)
CBGVA*	THCA Synthase (propyl)	THCVA	THCV	<0.5% (most varieties)
CBGVA*	CBDA Synthase (propyl)	CBDVA	CBDV	<0.3% (most varieties)

*CBGVA (cannabigerovarinic acid) is the propyl analog of CBGA, produced when the plant uses a shorter-chain fatty acid precursor (divarinic acid instead of olivetolic acid). The “varin” cannabinoids—THCV, CBDV, CBGV—all derive from this parallel pathway.

Breeding for CBG: Capturing the Mother Cannabinoid

CBG presents a unique breeding challenge because it is not the endpoint of a biosynthetic pathway—it is an intermediate that normally gets converted into other cannabinoids. To accumulate high CBG concentrations, breeders must effectively disable or reduce the downstream conversion enzymes while maintaining healthy plant growth and acceptable yields.

Genetic Strategies

Loss-of-function synthase mutations. The most direct approach involves identifying or creating cannabis genotypes where THCA synthase and CBDA synthase are absent or non-functional. Without these enzymes, CBGA accumulates in the trichomes rather than being converted. Several CBG-dominant hemp cultivars now on the market—such as White CBG and related varieties—achieve 10–15% CBG through this mechanism. These plants essentially lack functional copies of both THCAS and CBDAS genes.

Early-harvest timing. In standard varieties, CBGA is most abundant during early flowering before enzymatic conversion peaks. Some cultivators harvest early to capture higher CBG levels, but this approach sacrifices yield and produces inconsistent profiles. Genetic solutions that eliminate the need for harvest-timing workarounds are far more commercially practical.

Upregulation of precursor flux. Increasing the total amount of CBGA produced—by enhancing the activity of CBGA synthase (the prenyltransferase enzyme) or boosting upstream precursor supply through the MEP and polyketide pathways—could raise the ceiling for CBG accumulation even in varieties where some conversion still occurs. This is a more advanced breeding target that may benefit from genomic selection and metabolomic profiling.

Commercial Considerations

CBG-dominant genetics are already commercially available, making this the most accessible minor cannabinoid breeding target. The primary challenges are now around yield optimization, terpene profile development, and agronomic performance. Many first-generation CBG cultivars produce lower biomass than established THC or CBD varieties, and their terpene profiles tend to be less complex. Advancing CBG genetics to match the agronomic performance of elite THC cultivars is the current frontier.

Breeding for THCV: The Propyl Pathway Challenge

THCV is arguably the most commercially exciting minor cannabinoid, positioned as a “functional cannabinoid” with reported appetite-suppressing, focus-enhancing, and metabolic-supportive properties. Preclinical research has demonstrated improved insulin sensitivity and glycemic control in animal models of type 2 diabetes, and early human trials have shown effects on fasting plasma glucose and beta-cell function.

But THCV presents a fundamentally different breeding challenge than CBG. Where CBG breeding involves disabling downstream enzymes, THCV breeding requires redirecting the plant’s entire precursor supply chain toward the propyl (C3) pathway rather than the standard pentyl (C5) pathway.

The Precursor Problem

Standard cannabinoids (THC, CBD, CBG) are built from olivetolic acid, a C5 (pentyl) fatty acid precursor. The “varin” cannabinoids (THCV, CBDV, CBGV) are instead built from divarinic acid, a shorter C3 (propyl) fatty acid. The plant’s polyketide synthase preferentially produces olivetolic acid in most cannabis genotypes, which is why pentyl cannabinoids dominate.

Breeding for high THCV therefore requires identifying or developing genotypes where divarinic acid production is elevated relative to olivetolic acid. This is not a simple single-gene trait—it involves the activity of polyketide synthases, the availability of short-chain fatty acid precursors (hexanoic vs. butyric acid), and potentially regulatory genes that influence flux through competing pathways.

Marker-Assisted Selection in Action

The most successful THCV breeding programs to date have used genetic markers to accelerate selection. Phylos Bioscience, one of the leading programs in this space, has reported developing cultivars with 14%+ THCV content by identifying genomic regions associated with propyl-cannabinoid production and selecting for them across breeding populations. Their approach allows genotyping thousands of seedlings and advancing only those carrying the desired marker combinations—without growing every plant to maturity.

Traditional source material for THCV breeding has centered on African sativa landraces, which naturally produce higher proportions of propyl cannabinoids than most commercial genetics. Durban Poison and related South African varieties have been key donors in THCV breeding programs. The challenge is that these landraces also carry traits that are problematic for commercial cultivation—long flowering times, tall stature, low density, and inconsistent cannabinoid profiles—requiring extensive backcrossing to develop production-ready varieties.

Breeding for CBC: The Overlooked Third Pathway

Cannabichromene (CBC) is produced by CBCA synthase, the third enzyme that competes for the shared CBGA precursor pool. Despite being one of the three primary cannabinoid pathways, CBC has received far less breeding attention than THC or CBD—and even less than CBG or THCV.

This is beginning to change. Research has identified CBC as a non-intoxicating cannabinoid with potential anti-inflammatory, mood-supportive, and neurogenic properties. Critically, CBC interacts with the endocannabinoid system through different receptor targets than CBD, suggesting it may offer complementary rather than redundant therapeutic effects.

Breeding for high CBC requires enhancing CBCA synthase activity while suppressing THCA and CBDA synthase expression—effectively the inverse of what standard THC breeding has accomplished. The genetic tools for this are less developed than for CBG, because fewer natural high-CBC genotypes have been identified as starting material. Discovery and characterization of CBC-dominant chemotypes is an active area of germplasm screening.

Minor Cannabinoid Breeding: A Comparative Overview

Parameter	CBG	THCV	CBC
Primary genetic target	Disable THCAS + CBDAS	Redirect to propyl (C3) pathway	Enhance CBCAS expression
Source germplasm	Hemp lines with non-functional synthases	African sativas (Durban Poison lineage)	Limited; requires screening
Current achievable %	10–15%+	14%+ (marker-assisted)	2–4% (early stage)
Key breeding challenge	Yield and terpene complexity	Flowering time; precursor redirection	Few donor genotypes identified
Marker-assisted selection	Available (synthase gene status)	Available (propyl-pathway markers)	Under development
Commercial readiness	Production genetics available	Advanced breeding stage	Early R&D stage
Regulatory status	Non-intoxicating; hemp-compliant	Psychoactive; regulatory ambiguity	Non-intoxicating; hemp-compliant
Market positioning	Wellness, daytime clarity	Functional: appetite, focus, metabolic	Anti-inflammatory, entourage blends

The Multi-Cannabinoid Challenge: Breeding for Ratios, Not Just Peaks

The most commercially valuable minor cannabinoid products may not be single-compound isolates—they may be cultivars producing specific ratios of multiple cannabinoids designed for targeted effects. A cultivar producing 8% THCV alongside 10% THC and 3% CBG, for example, could deliver a differentiated experience that no single-compound product can match.

Breeding for ratios is substantially more difficult than breeding for a single dominant compound. It requires simultaneous selection on multiple enzymatic pathways that share precursors and compete for substrate. The genetic correlations between cannabinoid concentrations—some positive, some negative—create trade-offs that must be navigated through large populations and sophisticated selection indices.

This is where multi-trait genomic prediction becomes particularly powerful. As discussed in our recent coverage of AI-assisted breeding, machine learning models can predict multiple cannabinoid levels simultaneously from DNA markers, identifying rare individuals whose genotypes predict favorable ratio combinations. Without these tools, finding a plant that hits a specific multi-cannabinoid target profile in a large breeding population is prohibitively expensive through phenotyping alone.

The Entourage Advantage: Minor Cannabinoids in Context

Perhaps the strongest scientific argument for minor cannabinoid breeding is the growing evidence for entourage effects—the observation that cannabinoids and terpenes interact synergistically to produce effects greater than the sum of their parts. A 2023 study in Frontiers in Pharmacology confirmed that whole-plant cannabis extracts containing multiple cannabinoids produced different pharmacological profiles than isolated compounds at equivalent doses.

This has direct implications for product development. A cultivar specifically bred to produce THC, CBG, and CBC alongside a complex terpene profile may deliver a qualitatively different consumer experience than a THC-only cultivar—even at the same total potency. For brands seeking differentiation in an increasingly commoditized market, entourage-optimized genetics become a defensible competitive advantage.

The breeding challenge is that optimizing for entourage effects requires understanding how terpenes and multiple cannabinoids interact—which is still an area of active research. The breeders who build the genetic diversity and phenotypic databases to investigate these interactions now will be positioned to deliver products that the science validates in the years ahead.

The Alphatype Approach: Building the Minor Cannabinoid Pipeline

At Alphatype, we view minor cannabinoids not as a trend to chase but as a structural expansion of what cannabis genetics can deliver. Our approach is methodical: broad germplasm screening to identify novel chemotypes, systematic characterization of biosynthetic pathway genetics, and integration of marker-assisted and genomic selection tools to accelerate development timelines.

We are actively building the foundational datasets—genotype-phenotype associations across diverse cannabinoid profiles—that will power minor cannabinoid breeding over the next 3–5 years. Every chemotype we characterize, every pathway variant we catalog, and every selection cycle we complete adds to a growing predictive capability that compounds over time.

The programs that invest in this infrastructure now will not be catchable later. Minor cannabinoid breeding requires rare genetic starting material, specialized analytical capabilities, and multi-year breeding timelines. There are no shortcuts, and the barriers to entry only increase as early movers secure and develop the most promising germplasm.