URL: https://postharvestreport.com/glossary/trichome-degradation
Disturbance or loss of resin heads on flower surface — visible under magnification, but not necessarily a potency loss.
Glossary
Trichome degradation is disturbance or loss of resin heads on the flower surface, typically visible under magnification.
In commercial testing across 20 producers with 34 verified lab tests, automated trim did not produce meaningful potency loss versus hand-trimmed controls (within ±1% potency variance). Visible trichome disturbance is a real aesthetic concern but not the potency crisis it's sometimes claimed to be.