WHAT IS THE HPLVD (HOP LATENT VIROID) AND HOW IS IT TREATED
CONTENTS:
- What exactly is the latent hop virus?
- In what ways does the latent hop virus spread?
- What impact does the HPLVD have on marijuana plants?
- What should you do if you notice “dudding disease” in your plants?
- Different types of therapy
- Further advice
- A final thought
If you have tried adjusting the levels of nutrients, water, and light but your crop still appears stunted or weak, there may be a more serious issue at hand. Commercial growers have been dealing with this problem for a few years, but there hasn’t been any hope. However, recently, researchers have begun to suspect that it might be the HPLVD. When pruning or cloning your cannabis plants, scissors or scalpels can spread the Hop Latent Viroid Testing, which can cause sluggish plant growth.
What is the Hop Latent Viroid Virus Testing, exactly?
The HPLVD is an infectious pathogen that can cause “dudding” or the “dudding disease” in cannabis plants. Depending on the plant, the disease may or may not manifest symptoms; in some cases, it may even go unnoticed for years. The first indications of this disease were found in 2018, but further investigation only led to its confirmation in 2019.
Thanks to these studies, it has been determined that every crop tested in the US and Canada had the Hop Latent Viroid Testing, with an infection rate of about 25–30%. This means that if a sick plant were introduced into a garden of 100 plants, up to 30 plants could become infected, which could cost breeders and commercial growers millions of dollars.
2. HOW IS THE Hop Latent Viroid Virus Testing TRANSMISSION?
The virus can spread through contact (for instance, pruning an infected plant and then pruning an uninfected plant) with scissors, scalpels, shears, or any other similar tool, so it’s extremely important that you sterilize them before touching a new plant. However, research on this pathogen is still ongoing due to the current cannabis regulations.
There is ongoing research to ascertain how it occurs and the rate of transmission, but this virus can also spread through the seed of a diseased plant. Since there are asymptomatic plants that can appear healthy but are actively spreading the virus to your entire crop, it’s crucial that you take safety precautions because it’s nearly impossible to identify an infected plant.
3. HOW DO CANNABIS PLANTS FACE THE HPLVD?
There is still much to learn about the Hop Latent Viroid Testing, its development, and its transmission, but researchers now believe that this virus typically spreads from plant to plant via mechanical transmission, necessitating either direct or indirect contact between the infected plant and a healthy one. Researchers have discovered that the HPLVD has spread to hundreds or thousands of plants worldwide, but because it was only recently discovered, the majority of growers are unaware that their plants are infected or may not be aware that the symptoms their plants are displaying are brought on by this virus.
The fact that the virus tends to remain dormant, meaning that plants can be infected but not exhibit symptoms for a predetermined period of time, is another significant factor that made it challenging to identify the Hop Latent Viroid Testing. This explains why this disease is difficult to diagnose without proper testing because the virus can spread covertly and will only “wake up” when under stress, such as heat stress, stress related to food, or a bug outbreak. Researchers have discovered that single mother plant clones are more susceptible to the disease, which can cause anywhere between 10 and 30 percent of infected clones to exhibit severe symptoms.
The virus will greatly reduce the quality and quantity of the harvest, so even though the disease won’t actually kill your plants and sometimes it may not be obvious that they are ill, you will undoubtedly notice subtle symptoms.
SYMPTOMS OF COMMON HPLVD DURING THE VEGETATIVE STAGE
Cannabis plants typically exhibit the symptoms listed below while in the vegetative stage:
Plants are growing shorter than usual and have smaller leaves and shorter internodal spacing.
SYMPTOMS OF COMMON HPLVD DURING THE FLOWERING STAGE
Conversely, during the flowering phase, infected plants typically: Produce fewer trichomes; develop smaller, looser buds; and occasionally reduce the cannabinoid content by up to 50%.
As you can see, these symptoms can be mistaken for poor genetics or less-than-ideal growing conditions, but if you’ve previously grown the same strain and the outcome is significantly worse than before, your plants may be infected. As a general rule, your plants may be infected if you observe the symptoms listed below and have examined every other potential cause of the problem.
4. WHAT TO DO IF THE “DUDDING DISEASE” HAS AFFECTED YOUR PLANTS?
The first step in confirming whether your plants are truly infected with the HPLVD is to conduct a test if you have any reason to believe they are.
SMILING TEST
The quickest method to determine the presence of an infection is a screening test, such as a qPCR test, which may not be as simple to obtain depending on where you live and how much money you want to spend; as a result, it is mostly advised for commercial growers. Not all plants will exhibit clear symptoms or appear infected.
Remember that you can also use a qPCR test to check the viability of mother plants and newly acquired clones, but this can be expensive, so always take safety measures.
ISOLATION
All infected plants should be removed from the grow room as soon as possible and destroyed if the results are positive. If possible, all plants that came into contact with the infected plant should be isolated and tested.
TOUCH CULTURE
Now, the easiest way to get rid of the HPLVD is through tissue culture; this process uses a specific treatment that eradicates the virus, ensuring that the new plant grows 100% healthy and disease-free. However, if you have tested your entire crop and all of your plants are infected or if a special mother plant is infected.
HEALTH TIPS
Sterilizing the tools before working on a new plant is the best way to prevent the virus. It is also strongly advised that you wash your hands and don a fresh set of gloves before working on a new plant.
Therefore, be sure to take all of the preventive measures if you don’t want to waste time or money on any of the things mentioned above.
5. OPTIONS FOR TREATMENT
As previously stated, the virus is relatively new to cannabis, but many commercial growers with large grow rooms have already been experimenting with alternative treatments in order to save some money and prevent infections right away. As a result, here is a quick and simple recipe to help you save your infected plants.
Just keep in mind that depending on the products you’re using and how you’re doing it, this may not work in 100% of the cases. However, when done properly, there is a really high chance that it will clear up “dudding,” so make sure you give it a try before turning to more drastic measures.
Mix 1 liter of water with 8 milliliters of any broad-spectrum bactericide/fungicide, such as OxiDate 2.0 (or Zerotol);
Immediately after being cut, submerge a freshly-cut clone for 2–3 minutes, and then continue by letting the cutting take root as usual;
After rooting, submerge the clone in a solution of 0.5ml broad-spectrum bactericide/fungicide per liter of water (such as OxiDate 2.0).
6. ADVANCED TIPS
Here are a few suggestions to make your life easier because you don’t always need to clean the plant because occasionally you can get one positive from the bottom of the plant and one negative from the top.
Always clone from the top of the plant because it typically has healthier top growth;
each plant should have its own set of scissors and razor blades;
A new cloning solution should be used for each plant, and you should be patient because bactericides and similar products slow down root growth.
7. FINAL COMMENTS
Although it doesn’t appear to be particularly harmful at first, the Hop Latent Viroid Testing, also known as “dudding disease” or “dudding,” is something you should be on the lookout for because it could end up infecting your entire crop. Although it isn’t as harmful to plants as other pathogens, it will still be bad for them, especially if you’re a commercial grower, so sanitation is the key! Always clean your tools before working on a new plant, and keep an eye out for unusual growth, especially if that particular cultivar had been performing well until recently. If you’re not a breeder or a commercial grower, it might not seem like a big deal, but you will definitely notice the difference in bud quality, quantity, and overall plant growth and health, so make sure you take all the necessary safety measures.
Please feel free to comment in the section below if you have experience with the Hop Latent Viroid Testing and would like to offer advice to other growers.
