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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Functional Foods Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #423538
Research Project: Development of Enhanced Bio-Based Products from Low Value Agricultural Co-Products and Wastes

Location: Functional Foods Research

Title: Assessing the adaptive role of Cannabidivarinic Acid (CBDVA) in aphid defense in Cannabis sativa

Author
item MACWILLIAMS, JACOB - Colorado State University
item PADIMI, VENKATESH - Colorado State University
item CARTER, OLIVIA - Colorado State University
item Brownstein, Korey
item Stansell, Zachary
item Gordon, Tyler
item NACHAPPA, PUNYA - Colorado State University

Submitted to: Journal of Cannabis Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/27/2025
Publication Date: 6/11/2025
Citation: MacWilliams, J., Padimi, V., Carter, O., Brownstein, K.J., Stansell, Z.J., Gordon, T.C., Nachappa, P. 2025. Assessing the adaptive role of Cannabidivarinic Acid (CBDVA) in aphid defense in Cannabis sativa. Journal of Cannabis Research. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-025-00291-x.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-025-00291-x

Interpretive Summary: Industrial hemp is an emerging crop in the U.S., and hemp leaves are often discarded. There is increasing evidence that chemicals in industrial hemp leaves can affect insect survival. This research found that the chemical, CBDVA (a cannabinoid), was effective against both hemp-specific pests and general pests. ARS researchers in Peoria measured the CBDVA content in hemp samples, and it was determined with other scientists that the insects feeding on high-CBDVA hemp plants had a lower survival rate compared to low-CBDVA hemp plants. Thus, CBDVA has the potential to protect hemp and other crops from pests. Extracting essential oils containing CBDVA from industrial hemp leaves could provide an additional revenue stream for hemp farmers from a part of the plant that currently has little use.

Technical Abstract: Cannabis sativa has unique secondary metabolites known as cannabinoids, which include tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) and more than 100 related secondary metabolites. Despite the assumption that cannabinoids evolved as novel herbivory defense adaptations, there is limited research addressing the role of cannabinoids in C. sativa responses to insect herbivores. There is increasing evidence that major cannabinoids such as CBDA and CBD can affect insect fecundity and survival. Here, we investigated the role of a minor cannabinoid, cannabidivarinic acid (CBDVA) on fecundity and survival of cannabis-adapted specialist aphid, cannabis aphid (Phorodon cannabis) using laboratory and greenhouse assays. We hypothesize that CBDVA will negatively impact aphid fitness as an adaptive strategy for plant defense. We found that cannabis aphids performed better on low-CBDVA genotypes compared to the high-CBDVA genotypes in greenhouse experiments. Supplementation of CBDVA in artificial diets decreased cannabis aphid survival and fecundity relative to other major cannabinoids such as CBDA and diet control. The negative impact of CBDVA supplementation was also observed in a generalist aphid species, green peach aphids (Myzus persicae), which are not adapted to hemp. These results suggest that cannabis aphids have adapted to some but not all cannabinoids, and the adaptive role of the less abundant or minor cannabinoids need further investigation.