Purps #1 and Purple Moby Dick: a new purple strain family

We visited Dinafem, who presented their new Purple family, where a purple colour is combined with a number of outstanding qualities, such as yield, resin and taste. A few plants, such as aubergines, blackberry, red cabbage, or red grapes are naturally coloured with purple or purple-like hues. Adding purple to a strain is quite common in farming, as is the case for a few types of lettuce, basil, tomato or ornamental plants, which adds an exotic touch to what would otherwise be an ordinary plant. [caption id="attachment_8236" align="alignnone" width="500"] Purps #1 and Purple Moby Dick: a new purple strain family[/caption]

Anthocyanins

In cannabis and many other plants, the purple colour is related to a high content of anthocyanins, i.e. pigments belonging to the group of flavonoids and resulting in the purple, red or blue colours of many vegetables. The studies conducted show they have many therapeutic properties, e.g. for the treatment of cancer and inflammations and for reducing obesity, coronary diseases and diabetes. In addition, anthocyanins also improve visual acuity and strengthen the immune system. As the content of anthocyanins increases, plants tend to develop purple or red colours during their growth. In a few strains, a cold temperature, which normally occurs at night-time in the autumn season, has an influence on the purple colour of plants, while others will become purple irrespective of the temperature. Apparently, anthocyanins protect the plant from ultraviolet rays, especially in autumn, which is why plants tend to be purple-coloured during this season.

Purple strains

Up to now, only the classical Dutch hybrids (normally early strains) have dominated in Europe in this much sought-after colour, but the resin content is poor, which invariably implies low potency and modest taste. As Dr Kush told us, the main purpose behind this new line is the improvement of the genetic pool of these European Purple strains. Growers may find it interesting to grow a purple strain, provided that they have a satisfactory resin production and taste. In the USA, instead, top-class Purple strains were developed, with outstanding resin, taste and yield. These classical strains are now being crossed with other élite clones to offer a higher number of high-quality Purple hybrids.

Breeding

The biggest part of the breeding process consisted in the selection of parents since, although many famous Purple plants already exist, few have the quality level required by the breeder team, owing to their reduced potency or aroma. This process lasted for years, and many tests were made with various strains. In the end, the team decided to opt for a very special phenotype of Purple Afghan Kush that meets all required characteristics, i.e. an intense purple colour, a dense bud, much resin, a high yield and an amazing taste. [caption id="attachment_8237" align="alignnone" width="500"] Purps #1[/caption] The Dinafem team are totally expert in the breeding of Purple Afghan Kush, as they won many cannabis cups with it and used it in their previous breeding projects. This knowledge eased the other stages of their breeding process and crosses were made with other premium-quality strains, which culminated in two new strains, Purps #1 and Purple Moby Dick.

Purps #1

This strain stands out for its beauty and taste. It has a marked purple colour with very pleasant hues that make it an ornamental plant for outdoor growing, with an added plus. Its aroma and taste are characterised by a mix of sweet fruity tones, with earthy hints. Its effect is relaxing and soothing. Although it is typically an Indica plant in its appearance, with broad leaves, it tends to grow tall, and has a wide inter-knot distance. In any case, its flowering period is short and it is usually ripe after around 60 days.

Purple Moby Dick

After a decade of successes, Moby Dick needed to be changed into a new version. In this case, although its purple colour is not marked, it retains the pleasant appearance of the original plant. Its size and yield are indeed superior. On the palate, fruity tones are added to the classical Moby Dick taste, thereby offering a new marketing opportunity for consumers who do not like the typical Moby Dick taste. Buds are covered by trichomes and quite heavy, which means that staking is required during growth. This plant will flourish with sun, nutrients and water, and the necessary care will reward you with a tall size and a branched-out structure. In addition, its vigour and resistance to fungal infections make it easy to grow, with abundant yields. [caption id="attachment_8238" align="alignnone" width="500"] A detail of Purps #1[/caption]

Conclusions

Purps #1 and Purple Moby Dick are part of the new Dinafem purple family, with good resin production, dense buds and a fruity taste. In any case, Dinafem will place other new products on the market for this season. This is what they told us! They will shortly be releasing two rapid strains and another two CBD-rich strains, but we will talk about them in our next articles. J. Searcher