''Tochigishiro'' ( ja, とちぎしろ) is a

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial or medicinal use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest growing plants o ...

grown in

Tochigi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Tochigi Prefecture has a population of 1,943,886 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,408 Square kilometre, km2 (2,474 Square mile, sq mi). Tochigi ...

, Japan. It meets international standards of non-narcotic agricultural hemp at about 0.2% THC, reckoned "remarkably low" by Sensi Seeds. It was grown in the early 20th century at

Arlington Experimental Farm Arlington Experimental Farm was a former federal agricultural research farm in Alexandria, Virginia that opened in 1900. It was established by an Act of Congress, moving the Department of Agriculture's main research from the National Mall to Arli ...

near the United States capital. The modern variety was developed beginning in 1973 by Fukuoka University professor of pharmacy Itsuo Nishioka from seeds "found in southern Japan", and completed 1982 by the Tochigi prefectural government at Tochigi Agricultural Experiment Station in Tochigi-shi. According to a National Institute of Mental Health-affiliated researcher, the strain is missing the enzyme

tetrahydrocannabinolic acid synthase Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) synthase (full name ''Δ1-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid synthase'') is an enzyme responsible for catalyzing the formation of THCA from cannabigerolic acid (CBGA). THCA is the direct precursor of tetrahydrocann ...

that makes most ''Cannabis'' capable of producing THC. It is the most widely grown cultivar in Japan in the 21st century, being exempt from prohibition under the

Cannabis Control Law The of Japan, aka 1948 Law No. 124, is the national law of Japan concerning cannabis possession, cultivation, and transfer. Enforcement target According to Article 1 of the same Act, the term "hemp" in this Act means "hemp grass (Cannabis Sativ ...

, due to its low levels of psychoactive chemicals. Approximately 90% of the hemp grown in Japan is the ''Tochigishiro'' variety (as of 2007). A research report on an experimental plot at Kitami Agricultural Experimental Station on

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

suggests that it may be the most productive known crop for

biomass Biomass is plant-based material used as a fuel for heat or electricity production. It can be in the form of wood, wood residues, energy crops, agricultural residues, and waste from industry, farms, and households. Some people use the terms bi ...

, yielding 52.7 tonnes/ha in a single season. The crop grows about tall.

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* * * * * * Hemp agriculture Cannabis strains {{Japan-stub

See also

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