Terpene Dominance

Terpene dominance refers to the classification of cannabis cultivars based on their primary aromatic compound profiles rather than cannabinoid ratios alone. Breeders and researchers identify strains by their leading terpenes—such as myrcene-dominant, limonene-dominant, or pinene-dominant phenotypes—to predict aromatic and flavor characteristics across growing conditions. This classification system emerged as cannabinoid-only categorization proved insufficient for understanding strain diversity and expression. Terpene dominance patterns are influenced by genetics, environment, and harvest timing, creating variability even within established lineages. Understanding terpene profiles helps breeders select parent plants and predict offspring aromatic characteristics across generations. This framework has become standard in modern breeding documentation and seed banking.

Breeders use terpene dominance profiles to select parent plants with stable, heritable aromatic expression and to predict offspring phenotype distribution. Stable terpene dominance across generations indicates strong genetic fixation, making these cultivars more reliable for commercial production and crossbreeding programs.