When it comes to cannabis genetics, many growers ask: What is terroir in cannabis? And how does it differ from a classic landrace strain?
Terroir is a concept similar to Landrace, but with an important difference.
A Landrace strain has a genetic origin tied to a specific 🌍 geographical region. For example, Afghan Kush or Durban Poison are landrace strains because their genetics evolved naturally in those regions over centuries.
Terroir in cannabis, however, refers to the unique expression of a strain’s characteristics caused by its environmental conditions — soil, climate, humidity, altitude — but without the genetic implication of origin.
👉 In simple terms: if you take the California strain RuntZ and grow it in India or Afghanistan, it will turn out slightly different. That’s cannabis terroir in action.
This environmental influence can change the flavor profile, terpene expression, yield, and potency (within the limits of the strain’s genetics).
Many growers casually call this “phenotypes,” but the concept has been blurred over time. In fact, there are two distinct types of phenotype expression in cannabis:Genetic Phenotype – traits formed by the interaction of chromosomes from both parents, leading to natural genetic variability.
Environmental Phenotype – variations caused by terroir: growing conditions, soil composition, climate, and cultivation style.
Strictly speaking, the word phenotype applies best to the first type (genetic).
For the second, a more accurate term is “strain variability” — or simply Cannabis Terroir.
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