Indoor and outdoor growers have always had to deal with pests, fungi and plant diseases. Fortunately, an experienced grower can quickly recognize and solve such problems. But what if you are dealing with the Hop Latent Viroid (HLVd)? This viral plant infection has been on the rise in recent years, is difficult to recognize and cannot actually be cured.
We’re not saying you should panic, but… Hop Latent Viroid, HLVd for short, is an enemy you don’t want as a grower. It is a plant virus (or viroid) that is difficult to recognize and cannot actually be cured.
The plant disease was first discovered in hop plants, but also affects cannabis plants. HLVd was introduced for the first time in 2017 discovers in cannabis plants in nurseries in California, and the virus has since been on the rise in the US state.
Last year, HLVd was found in 35% of California farms analyzed, and it is also a growing threat. Not only that, but the viroid has also made the crossing to Europe via cuttings and plant material.
An HLVd outbreak in a legal American nursery.
HLVd is supposedly a viroid. These are the smallest pathogens and, unlike viruses, they only affect plants. The Hop Latent Viroid HLVd is a 256 nucleotide viroid that poses a threat to hops and cannabis plants.
However, the plant disease is difficult to recognize and can lie dormant in the plants for a long time without you realizing it. It causes a loss of quality and quantity, causing plants to produce up to 50% fewer cannabinoids and reduce yields by 30%.
An HLVd infected plant: small leaves, stunted growth, weak plant. Photo: Redawna Kalynchuk, Shutterstock
The symptoms of cannabis plants affected by HLVd usually only manifest themselves in the flowering phase. It does not kill the plants but causes ‘dudding’, which means that growth and flowering are drastically inhibited.
The plant no longer grows exuberantly, the yield decreases, the buds are less compact and the plant produces fewer cannabinoids and terpenes, and the structure of the plants can change.
Besides the fact that it is very difficult to completely cure the disease, it is actually too cumbersome for a private individual to test for the viroid.
Prevention is therefore better than cure in the case of HLVd, and this actually also applies to legal cannabis growers. Testing all plants in a large facility is not possible, so legal growers are advised to keep a close eye on their plants.
If a plant shows symptoms, it must be removed and tested immediately, as well as the mother plant. This can possibly be done in Spain by means of a viroid (PCR) test at CANNA.
Small home growers usually do not have the option to test for HLVd. It is therefore extra important for them to prevent plants from becoming infected with HLVd.
For this it is very important to work cleanly and even sterilely. The disease spreads via tools, gloves and is transmitted from mother plants to cuttings. We have even heard that the HLVd virus can also be present in cannabis seeds.
So be very careful when purchasing cuttings and work as cleanly and sterilely as possible to prevent HLVd. Keep an eye on your plants and pay attention to the symptoms, even if they are difficult to recognize. Infected plants become shorter in the growth phase and develop smaller leaves and shorter internodes, they may grow more slowly and develop weak stems. Flowering cannabis plants with the disease have lighter buds with clearly fewer trichomes.
2023-11-22 09:48:58
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