Carotenoid Pigments

Carotenoid pigments are a class of organic compounds responsible for yellow, orange, and red coloration in cannabis flowers, leaves, and trichomes. These fat-soluble molecules include beta-carotene, lycopene, and xanthophyll, which accumulate in plant tissues as chlorophyll breaks down during late flowering and curing. Carotenoid expression is influenced by genetics, light exposure, temperature stress, and nutrient availability—particularly phosphorus and potassium. While carotenoids are present in most cannabis plants, some phenotypes and breeding lines display more pronounced pigmentation due to selective trait concentration. Understanding carotenoid production helps breeders identify and stabilize visually distinct cultivars.

Breeders select for carotenoid-rich phenotypes to develop cultivars with distinctive color profiles, which serve as visual markers for consistency and can aid in phytochemical correlation studies. Carotenoid expression is often used alongside other pigment traits (anthocyanins, chlorophyll retention) to map phenotypic variation in breeding populations.