Genotype Phenotype Relationship

The genotype-phenotype relationship describes how a cannabis plant's genetic blueprint (genotype) expresses itself through observable characteristics (phenotype), including terpene profiles. Environmental factors—light, temperature, soil chemistry, and stress—significantly influence which terpenes a plant produces, even within the same genetic line. Two clones from identical genetics may develop notably different terpene compositions when grown under different conditions. This relationship is foundational to cannabis breeding, as breeders must account for both inherited terpene potential and environmental expression when selecting parent plants and stabilizing strains.

Breeders leverage the genotype-phenotype relationship to identify stable terpene expression across generations and growing conditions. Phenotype hunting—growing out numerous seeds from the same cross—allows breeders to locate individuals expressing desired terpene profiles, then stabilize those traits through selective breeding.