Anthocyanin Suppression

Anthocyanin suppression refers to genetic traits that inhibit or reduce the production of anthocyanins—water-soluble pigments responsible for purple, blue, and red coloration in cannabis plants. Plants expressing anthocyanin suppression typically display green phenotypes even under conditions (cold temperatures, UV exposure, nutrient stress) that would normally trigger purple pigmentation in genetically susceptible cultivars. This trait is controlled by recessive alleles at one or more loci, making it a subject of ongoing interest in breeding programs studying pigment inheritance. Understanding anthocyanin suppression helps breeders predict color expression across generations and develop stable cultivar lines with consistent visual characteristics.

Breeders working with anthocyanin suppression genes use this trait to reliably maintain green phenotypes in F1 and stabilized lines, or conversely, to identify and isolate purple-producing parents by crossing suppressors with pigmented cultivars. Documentation of suppression alleles aids in lineage tracking and helps explain unexpected color variation within seed populations.