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

Authors: STANSELL, ZACHARY; GORDON, TYLER; BROWNSTEIN, KOREY - U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA); MACWILLIAMS, JACOB - COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY; PADIMI, VENKATESH - COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY; CARTER, OLIVIA - COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY; 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: Stansell, Z.J., Gordon, T.C., Brownstein, K., Macwilliams, J., Padimi, V., Carter, O., Nachappa, P. 2025. Assessing the adaptive role of Cannabidivarinic Acid (CBDVA) in aphid defense in Cannabis sativa. Journal of Cannabis Research. 7(34). https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-025-00291-x.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-025-00291-x

Interpretive Summary: Cannabis sativa has unique compounds include many distinct cannabinoid molecules, which include tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) and more than 100 related molecules. Despite the assumption that cannabinoids evolved as novel herbivory defense adaptations, there is limited research addressing the role of cannabinoids in hemp 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.

Technical Abstract: In the current study, the authors sought to elucidate the adaptive role of CBDVA in plant defense against cannabis aphids. The following objectives accomplished this: 1) determine cannabis aphid population growth on high- and low-CBDVA hemp genotypes, and 2) determine the impact of CBDVA supplementation on survival and fecundity of cannabis aphids and the generalist, non-adapted green peach aphid (M. persicae).