Cannabis Industry Going High-tech to Improve Cultivation Operations

Financialnewsmedia.com News Commentary

PALM BEACH, Florida, May 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Cannabis growers, like other agriculturalists, are turning to Internet-of-things (IoT) technologies, to bring new efficiencies to their cultivation operations, and improve yields and profits. The impact has been called "seismic" by industry insiders. A recent article in "IoT for all" said:  "With more and more states legalizing or decriminalizing recreational or medicinal marijuana use every year, the cannabis market is exploding in popularity. This market is taking advantage of cutting-edge connected technologies (such as hydroponics) to optimize everything from crop management to distribution. This market is the perfect ecosystem for cutting-edge technologies, especially when looking at the agricultural and business aspects of the market. Large-scale operations are also ramping up to meet the demand and are looking to tech to improve their crop output." The article continued: "Cultivating marijuana plants is difficult work. There are many factors that can go awry and cause a plant either to die or to produce male flowers (male flowers can be used for hemp; only female flowers produce buds with the cannabinoid compounds sought by medical and recreational users). Active Healthcare companies in the markets this week include: Sugarmade, Inc. (OTC:SGMD), TILT Holdings Inc. (CSE: TILT) (OTC: SVVTF), CannTrust Holdings Inc. (TSX: TRST) (NYSE: CTST), Medical Marijuana, Inc. (OTC: MJNA), Frélii, Inc. (OTC: FRLI).

Entrepreneurs are retrofitting many existing IoT technologies, such as (hydroponic sensors) agricultural sensors and connected farming systems, to manipulate environments specifically for cannabis growing. The temperamental nature of these plants requires a lot of attention to detail and rigid schedules — things that can be ameliorated with connected technologies. With a connecting growing system, growers can add thermostats, temperature controls, humidity sensors and controls, scheduled light cycles and more to ensure the optimal conditions that keep plants in both the growing and blooming stages. This helps maximize yield and minimize the loss of viable plants.