# Genotype

> The genotype is the set of alleles a plant actually carries, either at one locus or across its whole genome, as opposed to the traits you can see.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/genotype.html
- Also written: genotypes, genetic make-up, genetic makeup, genome type
- Glossary category: Genetics and breeding · Evidence: Established
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

The genotype is the genetic make-up of a plant: the [alleles](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/allele.md) it carries at one [locus](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/locus.md) (for example B_T/B_D at the [cannabinoid](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cannabinoid.md) synthase locus) or across the whole genome. Each seed is a new genotype. Every clone cut from one plant shares that plant's genotype.

## In practice

"Same genotype" is the honest way to say "same plant". A mother kept for ten years and a cut passed to a friend are the same genotype, even if one grows better because of its care or a virus-free status. A pack of seeds from one cross holds many genotypes, which is why you [pheno](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/pheno.md) hunt.

A [DNA test](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/genotyping.md) reads part of the genotype. It can tell whether two cuts are the same plant and give a rough idea of ancestry. It cannot read [THC](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/thc.md) percentage or flavour off the label, because those also depend on many genes and on how the plant was grown.

## Don't confuse with

- **Phenotype**: what the genotype produces in a given environment. Same genotype, different room, different [phenotype](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/phenotype.md).
- **Strain**: a name. Studies of retail cannabis show the same name often hides different genotypes (Sawler et al. 2015).
- **Chemotype**: the [chemical phenotype](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/chemotype.md), partly set by genotype.

## Related terms

[Phenotype](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/phenotype.md), [Allele](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/allele.md), [Cloning](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cloning.md), [Genotyping](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/genotyping.md), [Genotype by environment interaction](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/genotype-by-environment.md)

## Read more

- [Mendelian genetics for growers, with Punnett squares](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/breeding/mendelian-genetics-for-growers.md)
- [Genotyping: what a DNA test can and can't prove](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/breeding/genotyping-what-tests-prove.md)

## Sources

1. Sawler J, Stout JM, Gardner KM, et al. 2015. The genetic structure of marijuana and hemp. PLoS ONE 10(8):e0133292. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0133292
2. Henry P, Khatodia S, Kapoor K, et al. 2020. A single nucleotide polymorphism assay sheds light on the extent and distribution of genetic diversity, population structure and functional basis of key traits in cultivated north American cannabis. Journal of Cannabis Research 2:26.