Clone

A clone is a genetically identical copy of a donor ("mother") plant produced by asexual, vegetative propagation — most commonly a rooted stem cutting. Because cannabis is highly heterozygous, clonal propagation preserves the exact chemotype, morphology, and sex of the source genotype, bypassing the segregation that would occur in seed progeny (Small 2015; Caplan et al. 2018). Clones are the industry-standard planting unit for controlled-environment cannabis production, ensuring uniformity of cannabinoid profile, flowering time, and canopy architecture (Punja et al. 2019; Caplan et al. 2018). Tissue-culture micropropagation represents an alternative clonal route and can be used to eliminate systemic pathogens such as hop latent viroid (Lubell-Brand et al. 2021; Punja 2021). Etymology: Greek klōn, "twig, slip, shoot." Synonyms/slang: cut, clipping, "cut" (noun), daughter plant, rooted cutting, "clone-only" cultivar (for cultivars distributed solely as cuttings). → See also: Cutting, Cloning, Mother plant, Female plant.