Cannabis with a Hop Latent Viroid | Verne Bioanalytics

Hop latent viroid (HPLVD) is a circular, single-stranded infectious RNA that is entirely dependent on the metabolism of its host plant to replicate. HPLVD is present in cannabis, which is related to hops, as the name says, but it also exists in hops across the world. The most straightforward method for finding viruses in plants is HPLVD Testing.

What effects does the Hop Latent Viroid have on hemp and cannabis plants?

HPLVD won't cause the plant to die or even display evident signs of infection (such as curled or yellowing leaves), but it will induce subtle symptoms in plants. The amount and quality of flowers that the diseased plant produces will be significantly reduced by HPLVD. Plants will get shorter during the vegetative stage, with smaller leaves and closer-spaced nodes. Flowering plants will have substantially fewer trichomes and smaller, looser buds. According to one of our clients, the cannabinoid content of plants with HPLVD infection was only half that of healthy plants. The simplest method of identifying viruses in plants is HPLVD Testing.

How Is The Hop Latent Viroid Transmitted?

Cultivators should always disinfect their instruments before beginning work on a new plant since contaminated pruning tools are the primary method of HPLVD transmission. When cuttings are obtained from a mother that has HPLVD, the disease can potentially be disseminated through cloning. And because HPLVD signs are not always visible, it might be challenging to spot mother plants that are infected. This is particularly true if the infection happens later in the plant's growth because reduced growth won't be as obvious. Cultivators should additionally utilize HPLVD Testing to examine mother plants to ensure that any cuttings harvested are virus-free.

How Is The Hop Latent Viroid Managed?

Tissue culture may be used to remove HPLVD from a cannabis or hemp plant, but this technique is time-consuming and should only be used for cultivars that are essential to your business. Prevention is essential with regard to most plant pathogens. HPLVD and other plant diseases can be stopped from spreading with proper cleaning procedures. When handling a new plant, put on fresh gloves, and sanitize your instruments often.

To verify that any cuttings harvested are virus-free, cultivators should also use HPLVD Testing to check mother plants. To ensure they are not introducing sick plants to their growth, cultivators can use qPCR assays to screen incoming clones.