Uh Oh! Plant viroid that kills THC spreading like wildfire in California

[Jingthing]

Quote

 

More than 90% of Calif. pot farms infected with ‘severe’ pathogen

Lester Black, SFGATE

May 25, 2023Updated: May 25, 2023 10:31 a.m.

FILE: A viral pathogen is damaging cannabis plants and spreading across California's farming industry.

 

An infectious pathogen inside California’s pot farms is attacking cannabis plants and growing invisibly for months only to spoil a crop just as a farmer is ready to harvest. Scientists believe that it’s in nearly every pot farm in the state and could be causing billions of dollars in damages to the national weed economy.

Hop-latent viroid, or HLVd, shrivels pot plants and reduce how much weight they produce by as much as 30%. It also destroys the amount of THC, pot’s most common active compound, that a plant produces, greatly reducing the value of affected plants. 

 

 

 

https://www.sfgate.com/cannabis/article/cannabis-farms-infectious-pathogen-18115205.php?IPID=SFGate-HP-Editors-Picks

 

Why wouldn't this be spreading to Thailand?

Other than crop devastation, it seems to me lots of THC castrated bud would still be sold at very high prices.

[stoner]

20 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Why wouldn't this be spreading to Thailand?

someone may bring it over. i know there have been farms who brought in clones from california and with it they brought mold that i haven't ever seen here. 

[SamuiGrower]

It’s a concerning issue in the states for sure and all commercial grow ops are becoming hyper vigilant over it. 
 

it’s a plant specific, RNA HLVd (Hop Latent Viroid) pathogen affecting outdoor crops (for the moment). It is particularly insidious because it lies dormant until there is a secondary stress event that weakens the plant, I.e High temp/low humidity (high VPD) or insect predation.

 

It presents (visually) as a nutrient deficiency: stunted growth, low mass, chlorotic leaves, brittle stems. 
It is believed to be spread by aphids and has been affecting many grows.

 

There is little to be done other than to use ‘best practices’ with crop cleanliness and sanitation (build it out). Do NOT bring outdoor plants indoors if you are doing a CEA grow or attempt to clone and propagate indoors.

 

This is not the first time or the only virus that is concerning or has wreaked havoc on cannabis. Mosaic virus (2 types), D. Dipsaci, pseudomonas cannabina,  xanthomonas and CCV (cannabis cryptic virus

are a handful of other, hard to control cannabis pathogens to deal with.

 

Stoner is correct in the possibility (likelihood) of bringing it over and none of us should be surprised if/when it happens. Introducing plant pathogens across borders is nothing new. Phylloxera (though not a virus) wiped out most of the wine grapes around the world in the later part of the 19th century and let’s not forget the potato famine in the mid 19th century.

 

Some cheap FYI advice for all the growers germinating “imported” seeds: sanitize your seeds with a 1% hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) solution.. 1 part hydrogen peroxide to 2 parts water. Soak for 12 hours prior to germination. This preventative technique will also improve germination rate by over 50% as well as knocking down bacteria, virus, mold, spores, etc.

 

The seeds in my op have a phytosantiary inspection, that were required by the Thai FDA.

[SamuiGrower]

Not sure if external links are allowed:

 

https://www.sfgate.com/cannabis/article/cannabis-farms-infectious-pathogen-18115205.php

 

[SamuiGrower]

Sorry for that redundancy. It was mis-posted….????