## 1 Introduction  
_Cannabis sativa_, a dioecious annual plant from the Cannabaceae family, has been cultivated mainly in central Asia since ancient times [1]. It is a multifaceted plant with diverse applications in both agriculture and industry. For centuries, it has been utilized as a source of fiber, food, oil, and medicine [2, 3]. Currently, _Cannabis sativa_ has various applications, including industrial, ornamental, nutritional, medicinal, and recreational uses [4, 5, 6, 7]. _Cannabis sativa_ consists of roughly 540 distinct compounds, including primary metabolites like amino and fatty acids, proteins, sugars, and vitamins, as well as secondary metabolites like cannabinoids, terpen, flavonoids, and alkanes [8, 9, 10, 11]. Cannabinoids were first isolated from _Cannabis sativa_ in 1964 [12]. _Cannabis sativa_ produces acidic forms of cannabinoids (C22) via the biosynthetic pathway of cannabinoids in plants. These cannabinoids are later transformed into alkyl-type cannabinoids with a monoterpene isoprenyl moiety (C10) and a pentyl side chain (C5),mainly through decarboxylation and cyclization [13; 14; 15]. The most abundant acidic cannabinoids in Cannabis sativa are cannabigerolic acid (CBGA), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), and cannabichromeric acid (CBCA), whereas the alkyl-type cannabinoids include \(\Delta\)9-tetrahydrocannabinol (\(\Delta\)9-THC), cannabidiol (CBD), and cannabigerol (CBG) [16; 17]. _Cannabis sativa_ can be classified into two forms: medicinal hep and narcotic marijuana. Marijuana contains more than 20% of the psychoactive compound A9-THC, whereas hemp contains less than 0.3%. Hemp was excluded from the Controlled Substances Act regulation of controlled plants after the 2018 US _Farm Bill_ was signed. The major secondary metabolite of hemp, the non-psychoactive compound CBD, has gained attention. According to clinical studies, CBD has potential therapeutic effects in psychiatric disorders, anxiety, seizures, sleep disorders, diabetes, pain, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases [18; 19; 20; 21; 22; 23; 24; 25]. Hemp is a high-value plant primarily grown in controlled environmental production facilities, such as greenhouses or vertical farms, under artificial light conditions [26]. Controlled environmental production facilities offer the advantage of consistent year-round production [27; 28]. However, the operating costs of vertical farms are higher than those of greenhouses or open fields; therefore, it is more advantageous to select high-demand or high-value crops [29]. In Korea, leafy vegetables are mainly cultivated on vertical farms; however, efforts are being made to produce high-value crops owing to profitability issues [30]. Generally, marijuana plants reach an average height of 2-3 m and can even reach up to 5 m, depending on the climatic conditions [31; 32; 33]. Given the large size of the hemp plant, maximizing profits in agricultural facilities with limited space, such as vertical farms, is difficult. Therefore, dwarf induction of the plant is required to achieve profitability in vertical farms. There are various methods for inducing plant dwarfism. Synthetic substances known as plant growth retardants can modify the growth and development of plants, including leaf expansion, stem elongation, and internode elongation, and they can be effective at low concentrations [34]. These retardants have been applied to plants to reduce accidental stem elongation without affecting productivity [35]. Various types of recognized plant growth retardants, particularly those of the triazole group, such as hexaconazole, tebuconazole, and diniconazole (DIN), suppress the biosynthesis of gibberell acid (GA) via the inhibition of a precursor in the GA biosynthesis pathway thereby reducing cell elongation and division to produce dwarfed plants [36; 37]. The triazole group offers several advantages, including high effectiveness, a wide range of applications, minimal harm to non-target organisms, and low levels of resistance [38].