Update on the Super Skunk-
Was doing my daily smell tests and the cat piss / skunk is still there up close on the wiff. But this is where things get interesting. Rubbed the big fan leaves on both of the SS and there is a new smell that is overpowering, at first I thought it was like garlic but it's more of a rank onion smell.
I've heard about the garlic/onion smell on some plants and have smelled & smoked GMO, but this was the first personal experience with it on a live plant, so I did some more digging.
" Though prenyl thiol is a major contributor to the skunky, gassy scent of cannabis, the other prenylated VSCs also contribute, although less so. For instance, VSC4–VSC7 each have either a strong skunk-like or borderline garlic/onion scent. Our data on cannabis vapes show high concentrations of VSC5 while having very potent scents. This helps argue that these other compounds can likewise contribute to this aroma. "
This was a short but good read. Turns out they have a way to test for VSCs using 2DGC (two dimensional gas chromatography.)
"Well, we wanted to answer a specific question – one that many folks in the industry had wondered: “What chemicals give cannabis its skunky, gassy, pungent scent?” Until our paper was published, this question was unanswered. Although much research has been focused on
terpenes, none of them were known to contribute this specific scent. The fact that we discovered an entirely new family of compounds in cannabis was a pleasant surprise. And because many appear to be unique to cannabis, we are referring to this new class as “cannasulfur compounds."
Sussing That Skunky Smell
So they are specific compounds to cannabis. Just like
terpenes however, that genetic makeup / fingerprint varies with phenotype. This is why I've always preferred clones to seeds, because you are getting the exact same phenotype.
Been looking into the Super Skunk and have seen some let downs. Maybe because there's like 20 different versions of SS from different breeders?
Have yet to see any pheno that has these leaves, other than the MSS. All of them have a more broad leaf structure. This one has double ridges too. (Notice those 2 bottom fingers that shoot down reverse from the top of the leaf.)
So my guess is this is from the first run of Sensi Seeds Super Skunk - either the MSS pheno or a sister pheno.
The roadkill clone is still pretty small and not much plant material on it yet, but the up close wiff of those baby leaves is still a rank skunk, more skunky and nasty than the SS.
So more good news on this end, the thiols / VSCs / CSCs are absolutely in these genetics.