Even if you have followed all the right procedures, used the right fertilizers, and maintained the ideal watering schedule for your plants, you are not seeing the same results. But do not worry. Your plants, not you, are to blame. Two commercially important crops that are susceptible to many of the same diseases are cannabis and hops. Cannabis cultivators can't sleep at night because of the Hop Latent Viroid. They are concerned that HPLVD Testing would destroy entire harvests in addition to cutting into profits. The Risk to Cannabis Crop Production An infectious pathogen that affects cannabis plants is called the hop latent viroid (HLVd). In California, the cannabis industry first became aware of it in 2018. The virus has now spread throughout the whole cannabis producing industry.
Hop Latent Viroid: What Is It?
The metabolism of the host plant ultimately affects the single-stranded, circular infectious RNA known as the hop latent viroid (HpLVd). HpLVd, as its name would imply, was initially discovered in the related hop plant, cannabis. Learn More
How Do Cannabis Plants React To The Hop Latent Viroid?
Physical signs of HpLVd in Cannabis sativa include:
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slower growth
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broken stems
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Deformities in leaves
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fading leaves
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rotting leaves
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absence of smell
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Poor growth and trichome dispersal
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slowed bud expansion
According to studies, HpLVd-infected cannabis plants produced half as much cannabinoids overall and had a 30% lower yield than healthy plants.
How Is The Hop Latent Viroid Transmitted?
Cannabis Crop Cultivation Is Threatened. Although infected tools and equipment are a major source of HpLVd transmission, cultivators should always disinfect their tools before beginning work on a fresh plant. When cuttings from a mother who has the disease are collected, HpLVd can potentially spread through cloning. Furthermore, it can be challenging to spot visually contaminated mother plants because symptoms of HPLVD Testing aren't usually present during the vegetative stage. This is especially valid if the infection happens later on in the plant's growth. It won't be as obvious that development is being stunted, but the infection will gradually worsen until the viroid completely consumes the plant.
How Can We Prevent It?
The million-dollar question is that. What has already been done is as follows:
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Rapid testing is being used by growers to check clones for HPLVD Testing before combining them with other plants.
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Propagation Methods: Promising is the use of tissue cultures to grow cannabis from a single cell that may be HpLVd-depleted.
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Bleach and hypochlorous acid appear to be effective for sterilization. For large growth, twice-weekly plant spraying can be accomplished using pricey water electrolysis equipment. Small operators can physically spray, soak, agitate, and brush each plant separately to stop spread by purchasing relatively affordable bottles of these disinfection solutions.
Detection Of HPLVD
Hop Latent Viroid Testing is a danger to the cannabis industry and, if left unchecked, might develop into a major problem. It is nearly impossible to identify the virus without molecular testing since it might remain dormant or inactive within affected plants. HpLVd-infected plants may have half as many cannabinoids as healthy plants. An RNA isolation process must be followed by a PCR test on a plant tissue sample in order to identify Hop Latent Viroid Testing. The isolation provides greater sensitivity, which can be important because the infected plant may not have much of the viroid present. Check out our Verne Bioanalytics HpLVd Analysis if you need HpLVd testing.