Post Harvest Protocol

Post-harvest protocol refers to the standardized handling, drying, curing, and storage procedures applied to cannabis flowers after harvest to preserve cannabinoid and terpene profiles. These practices—including temperature control, humidity management, light exclusion, and airflow optimization—are critical to maintaining volatile terpene compounds that can degrade rapidly under improper conditions. While terpenes themselves are not created during post-harvest work, their retention or loss is largely determined by how cultivators manage this phase. Documentation of post-harvest methods has become increasingly important in breeding records, as breeders seek to understand how different chemotypes respond to various curing and storage techniques. Proper protocols can significantly influence the final aromatic and chemical expression of a cultivar.

Breeders and seed companies increasingly document post-harvest responsiveness as a strain trait—noting which lineages retain volatile compounds better under specific humidity, temperature, and curing duration ranges. Understanding a cultivar's post-harvest stability helps breeders select for genetic resilience and informs phenotype evaluation across growing environments.