IMPORTANT: HPLVD

[blackpoolbouncer]

So it appears this doesn't seem to have made it it onto most people's radar so thought it pertinent to share what could affect many of you, particularly if you have acquired clones that have ever been near cali or are thinking of doing over the last 18 months. 

 

 

 

Dark Heart Nursery Research Finds 90% of California Facilities Test Positive for Hop Latent Viroid

The nursery estimates $4 billion in annual crop losses industry-wide.

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September 15, 2021

 

 Eric Sandy

 

Grower/Agriculture News State by State: California

Dark Heart Nursery

A healthy cannabis plant.

Earlier this summer, the team at Dark Heart Nursery announced the findings of a formal survey of cannabis growers across California: After some 200,000 tissue tests, 90% of California facilities researched were testing positive for hop latent viroid (HpLVD).

All told, the presence of that pathogen—to that degree—could account for a $4-billion loss in cannabis crops, according to the Dark Heart team.

The tests ran across more than 100 licensed cannabis facilities, from August 2018 to July 2021. This endeavor began during the research phase that saw Dark Heart connect HpLVd to a suite of worrying symptoms known as “dudders” or “dudding” at the time. This included stunted plants, low trichome production, weak stems and so on. 

“Very early on, we knew there was this problem in the industry where plants wouldn't produce: low yields, low trichomes. We took the time to do the science, to do some RNA sequencing and figure out what was the actual cause of that. Hop latent viroid was only in the infected [plants], not in the healthy ones.” But simply identifying the pathogen was not enough. Once it was found, the Dark Heart team removed the pathogen, isolated it in a pure culture and then infected an otherwise healthy plant with it. Quickly, they noticed the familiar symptoms.

READ MORE: The 'Dudders' Case or: How Legalization Opened the Door for Cultivators to Embrace Science 

 

From there, the question became: How widespread is this issue? Cannabis forums were already lighting up with anecdotal stories of dudding plants.

Dark Heart Nursery

A cannabis plant infected with HpLVd. Same strain, age and inputs as in the first photo.

Warren took the scientific approach used to connect HpLVd with the disease and began to tour licensed cannabis facilities in California, going to the places where reports of 20% crop loss were coming through loud and clear. The work focused on nursery stock that would eventually become a business’s mother plants and involved PCR (polymerase chain reaction)testing in a clean environment to detect the presence of the virus. (PCR testing will sound familiar to anyone who’s been exposed to the COVID-19 virus in the past year or so.)

Once the present of HpLVd is confirmed (or even before then), what’s a grower to do?

“You’ve got to get team buy-in,” Warren says. “There are growers who have their own mother blocks, and they run their own genetics. No. 1 for everything for this viroid is sanitation. It’s spread by people, usually pruners, cutting an infected plant and then taking [scissors] to a healthy plant, infecting it.” (Warren said that Dark Heart has forthcoming research that will get into the infection rate with more specificity, as well as differences in infection rates among varying grow environments.)

From there, ongoing testing of mother plants is critical. Three to four tests per nursery plant is key, Warren says, due to the aforementioned latent nature of the virus.

WATCH: Future Cannabis Project’s Interview with Dark Heart Nursery and Glass House Farms on Hop Latent Viroid 

“What these tests have showed us is, if you get in and do the test, after a month and a half, which is what this three- or four-test timeframe [requires], you can go from 40% infected in your grow to between 0% and 1%,” Warren says, pointing out that infected plants are thrown away immediately. “That yield, the money we’re talking about there, is realizable very quickly.”

As for the $4-billion figure, the Dark Heart team is tabulating a possible 33% loss on the $11.9 billion in total cannabis sales thus far in 2021 (according to New Frontier Data).

Crop yield is the backbone of the cannabis supply chain, of course. What grower doesn’t want to increase yield? Identifying this gap between projections and actual yield is the place where this HpLVd research can come in handy. It remains a significant issue for the industry.

Dark Heart’s testing research continues—and Warren points out that this is not a problem confined to California. He says the work serves the dual purpose of ringing an alarm bell for nursery owners and growers in other parts of the world.

 

https://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/cannabis-hop-latent-viroid-infections-dark-heart-nursery-crop-loss/

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've now shut up shop accepting any clones especialy anything cali and most of my mates have too, weve got too many special plants and unobtainable clones . Waiting in a couple special ladies at the end of the year from a trusted source and that wil be it and will be working completely in house from now on pretty much. Thankfully no issue as this was pretty much the plan anyway once the library of foundation genetics was completed but a bugger for some I imagine especially if your in the hype game.

 

If you've got special girls you don't want to lose I implore anyone taking clones to consider where the original source is and where they've been on the way to you and practice good biosecirity. As you can see the issue appears to be nearly inescapable in US and it's snook over here under most growers radar. 

 

 

Edited October 3, 2021 by blackpoolbouncer

[grooving]

So apart from avoiding dodgy cuts I guess cleanliness is key to reduce the risk?

[Keye]

I just read it in the other thread and went searching for it; thanks for the repost and link.

[MindSoup]

Wow this could be a disaster for the industry, a real back to square one for a lot of people.

Few questions (sorry if I missed anything in the op) can seeds from an infected plant carry the virus? Can you cure an infected plant?

 

E2A just spotted the video link..

Edited October 3, 2021 by MindSoup

[blackpoolbouncer]

If you don’t/haven't had infected clones then you should be fine as you haven't got a source to transfer the virus from to your healthy clones in the first place.

 

It doesn't appear to pass on in seed form. 

 

 

If your buying/getting hype clones id be VERY very careful.

How many hype jockies interested in little but money shifting the latest hype clones are gonna give a shit about biosecurity. 

 

 

 

This is why we are shutting up shop and trusting clone sources explicitly is more important than ever.

 

Dealing with some mites is easy. This not so much as the only way to clean a clone is meristem tissue culture and best part of a year of waiting to get back to a clone

 

Plus how many here have access to that kind of remedy. 

 

Not many. 

 

 

I dont know the extent of the actual problem yet. Its worried me enough to take action rather than dismiss it. 

Do bear in mind that darkheart make money testing for this but I'd still be cautious at least until we know a bit more about it 

Edited October 3, 2021 by blackpoolbouncer

[blackpoolbouncer]

Preservation of and protection of special sports has never been so important imo. 

[MindSoup]

Well I'm glad I'm a sucker for the old skool, so won't really stop me getting what I want.

[blackpoolbouncer]

It's the old skool clones I worry about the most. 

The ones that aren't held in many places and circles.......hence why I'm closed inbound

 

Fuck losing them 

[nigelpotter]

this from darkheart (4/3/2019):

 

"The secondary means of HpLVd transmission are not yet fully understood. However, other viroids in the Cocadviroid genus have been shown to be pollen and seed transmissible. This suggests that HpLVd may also be transmitted in a similar manner, but further study is required. Insect transmission of viroids is also still being studied."

 

 

[blackpoolbouncer]

The rate of transmission from seed appears to be so small that it isn't statistically provable yet. I think thats a little bit of clever marketing as in "we don't know so assume it does"

 

 

Iirc talking to a friend quite a few tests have been carried out on seed and shows it's none transmission but don't hold me to that. 

 

 

If it was transmissible in seed form that would mean it would be in nearly every grow room and inescapable 

[BilgePump]

So is this a whole Cannabaceae family issue then? 

Absolutely shocking news this, generally speaking my phyto sanitary practices are on point given I work with plants from numerous sources for a living and hitchhikers are a real and constant concern.

There's a lot , and I mean a lot of Humulus lupulus growing feral around here too.

Looks like I'm spending today reading then. 

Thank you for posting this @blackpoolbouncer.

 

[MindSoup]

@blackpoolbouncer Well hopefully word gets round and those people that still hold the old cuts can keep them safe, probably too late for a lot of the newer US mothers. 

[blackpoolbouncer]

Like I say. It's not the end of the world. Cuts can be cleaned. Just not easily for the average hobby grower.

 

 

I still don't know how worried to be if I'm really honest but forewarned is forearmed.

Edited October 3, 2021 by blackpoolbouncer

[MindSoup]

Yeah i guess if everyone adopts the right practices they can stop and further spread and slowly work through and restore the mothers, will be a big task by the sounds of it. 

[Whatwentwrong]

1 hour ago, blackpoolbouncer said:

The rate of transmission from seed appears to be so small that it isn't statistically provable yet.

epic. So if we love a strain wiv a couple of good old fashioned Z’s where the S’s should be, buy seeds.

 

If I’m rich enough by the end of the year I was thinking of splashing out on some pancakez they sound nice or gushcubez after hearing about your cola cube mum.