2025 NYS Medical Cannabis Symposium Poster Presentation: The Link Between Soil Health and Medical Cannabis Quality

I was selected to present research at the 2025 NYS Medical Cannabis Symposium in November, and this is the research I presented.

The Link Between Soil Health and Medical Cannabis Quality

How Living Soil Shapes the Pharmacological Spectrum of Cannabis

Summary

As the therapeutic applications of Cannabis sativa L. expand, cultivation practices that enhance its secondary metabolite diversity and production have become increasingly significant. This poster synthesizes recent evidence showing that healthy living soil systems - microbially active soils with balanced mineral profiles - significantly influence the biochemical expression of cannabinoids and terpenes. Integrating microbial ecology, mineral nutrition, and chemical analysis, this work demonstrates that soil quality directly correlates with the potency and spectrum of medicinal compounds. Data from Chacón (2025) reveal that organically rich, biologically active soils created through cover cropping produced cannabis flowers with higher total cannabinoid and terpene concentrations compared to conventionally tilled fields. These findings reinforce the thesis that soil health is the foundation of plant pharmacology - linking ecological health beneath the surface to therapeutic efficacy above it.

Introduction

The medicinal quality of Cannabis sativa L. begins in the soil. Living soils - rich in microbial diversity and balanced minerals - enhance the plant’s natural production of cannabinoids and terpenes, the compounds central to its therapeutic efficacy. Microbial consortia have been shown to regulate secondary metabolite pathways that boost phytocannabinoid production by improving nutrient bioavailability and activating root-microbe signaling (Ahmed et al., 2023; Taghinasab & Jabaji, 2020). Field evidence confirms that biologically active soils created through cover cropping yield significantly higher cannabinoid and terpene concentrations than conventionally tilled fields (Chacón, 2025). Together, these findings demonstrate that soil biology is the foundation of plant pharmacology - healthy soil grows healthier medicine.

Learning Objectives 

1. Understand how living soil systems influence secondary metabolite production in medical cannabis

2. Identify the soil practices that support optimal medical cannabis

Methods

Peer-reviewed studies published between 2014 and 2025 were reviewed, focusing on soil microbiota, nutrient dynamics, and cannabinoid–terpene biosynthesis. Central to this synthesis are two key studies that demonstrate complementary mechanisms: Ahmed et al. (2023) examined the use of microbial consortia to enhance phytocannabinoid production in medical cannabis cultivars. Controlled greenhouse trials applied beneficial bacterial and fungal inoculants to plant roots. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) measured increases in select cannabinoids and terpenes. Chacón (2025) investigated the impact of soil quality and organic matter on cannabinoid and terpenoid content. Field trials compared organically rich, biologically active soils created through cover cropping to conventionally tilled fields. GC–MS quantified total cannabinoid and terpene concentrations. Comparative Synthesis Results from both studies were contextualized alongside complementary studies on humic acid effects (Bernstein et al., 2019), plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (Lyu, D. et al., 2023) and nitrogen balance (Saloner & Bernstein, 2021). Together, they form an evidence-based model linking living soil systems to enhanced medicinal compound expression.

Results

Overview

Recent evidence confirms that microbial activity and soil quality directly influence secondary metabolite synthesis in Cannabis sativa L. Both controlled inoculation experiments and field studies demonstrate that biologically active soils yield higher concentrations and greater diversity of cannabinoids and terpenes compared to conventional substrates.

Supporting Comparative Evidence

These results align with other studies linking soil microbiology and nutrient balance to enhanced metabolite biosynthesis:

·       Humic acid and mineral synergy: Balanced NPK plus humic supplementation elevated cannabinoid diversity and aromatic complexity (Bernstein et al., 2019).

·       Nitrogen moderation: Controlled N supply increased terpene biosynthetic enzyme activity and improved chemovar expression (Saloner & Bernstein, 2021).

·       Soil-microbiome-cultivar link: Distinct soil microbiomes were shown to drive cultivar-specific cannabinoid profiles (Winston et al., 2014).

Key Trend

Across studies, the convergence is clear: microbial activity and mineral balance jointly amplify metabolite synthesis. Living soils act as biochemical reactors - unlocking nutrients, moderating plant stress, and activating terpene and cannabinoid pathways. The outcome is a broader, richer, and cleaner phytochemical profile - evidence that soil quality is the biochemical foundation of cannabis

Discussion

Soil functions as a biochemical catalyst in determining the therapeutic quality of Cannabis sativa L. Studies by Ahmed et al. (2023) and Chacón (2025) demonstrate that both microbial inoculation and organic soil enrichment significantly boost cannabinoid and terpene synthesis. Microbial consortia increased cannabinoid and terpene content by more than 20%, while compost-amended soils produced over 25% higher total cannabinoids and 32% higher total terpenes compared to inert substrates. These outcomes arise from microbial/mineral synergy - microbes mobilize nutrients and regulate metabolic pathways that drive secondary metabolite production. The result is cleaner, broader-spectrum cannabis with enhanced therapeutic potential and fewer chemical residues. Healthy, biologically active soils thus serve as both an agricultural and public health strategy, bridging soil ecology, plant chemistry, and patient wellness.

References

Ahmed, B., Beneš, F., Hajšlová, J., & Fišarová, L. (2023). Enhanced production of select phytocannabinoids in medical cannabis cultivars using microbial consortia. Frontiers in Plant Science, 14, 1219836

Bernstein, N., Gorelick, J., Zerahia, R., & Koch, S. (2019). Impact of N, P, K, and humic acid supplementation on the chemical profile of medical cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.). Frontiers in Plant Science, 10, 736

Chacón, F. T. (2025). Impact of soil quality on cannabinoid and terpenoid content of Cannabis sativa L. Journal of Medicinally Active Plants, 13(2). University of Massachusetts Open Publishing

Lyu, D., Backer, R., & Berrué, F. (2023). Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) improve biomass and secondary metabolite accumulation of Cannabis sativa L. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 71(2), 503– 512

Saloner, A., & Bernstein, N. (2021). Nitrogen supply affects cannabinoid and terpenoid profile in medical cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.). Industrial Crops and Products, 170, 113735

Taghinasab, M., & Jabaji, S. (2020). Cannabis microbiome and the role of endophytes in modulating the production of secondary metabolites: An overview. Microorganisms, 8(3), 355.

Winston, M. E., Hampton-Marcell, J., Zarraonaindia, I., Owens, S. M., Moreau, C. S., Gilbert, J. A., Hartsel, J., Kennedy, S. J., & Gibbons, S. M. (2014). Understanding cultivar-specificity and soil determinants of the Cannabis microbiome. PLOS ONE, 9(6), e99641