Purity Medical Laboratories Now Offering Hop Latent Viroid Testing For Cannabis Crops

Purity Medical Laboratories is now offering hop latent viroid testing to assist growers in identifying and eliminating a devastating viroid that occurs worldwide.

Hop latent viroid, a plant pathogen, is also known as "dudding disease" due to its tendency to reduce yield and stunt growth and lead to a "dud" harvest. Unfortunately, many early cases are asymptomatic and difficult to detect. Some of the symptoms of HpLVd are stunted growth, brittle stems, reduced trichome counts, and low flower yields.

Since early testing and detection helps to eradicate infected cannabis plants, growers can protect against outbreaks and prevent losses of entire harvests through regular testing rather than waiting for symptoms to present.

Cannabis industry analysts project that the hop latent viroid affects more than 30% of all cannabis plants, resulting in millions of dollars in loss for U.S. growers.

An Effective Response
If only a single plant is infected, it should be removed and destroyed. Surrounding plants must be quarantined and tested several more times for the pathogen. Tools and equipment should always be thoroughly cleaned. The only reliable method to clean plants infected with HpLVd is through tissue culture systems and heat or cold treatments.

Once the plant pathogen has been detected, routine testing is essential to ensure it hasn't spread to other plants.

About Hop Latent Viroid
HpLVd was first detected in hops. Recent findings have determined that HpLVd can have significant impacts on yields and secondary metabolism that may be more pronounced in cannabis plants. Its primary transmission seems to be mechanical, with more research needed on secondary means of transmission. In 2017, disease symptoms were noticed on multiple plants grown in California, including brittle stems, a reduction in yields, stunting, and malformation or chlorosis of leaves.

Photo: Courtesy of Purity Medical Laboratories