Cannabis Cryptic Virus Unexpectedly Found: Risks, Precautions, And Laboratory Testing

In recent years, the cannabis market has grown tremendously. According to predictions, retail sales will top $2.5 billion by 2022 after peaking at $1.2 billion in 2018. But as we move into a time of mass production, unanticipated crop loss is also becoming more common. Cannabis producers have observed strange viral symptoms, and to counteract the threat, they are turning to independent labs like Verne Bioanalytics for assistance. The most frequent pollutants in cannabis are still pesticides and mildew, but viruses like the Cannabis Cryptic Virus, lettuce chlorosis virus, and hop latent virus are also common and more dangerous than you might realize. To avoid Cannabis Cryptic Virus from wreaking havoc on their crops, growers must be aware of these diseases and educate themselves on the most recent preventative measures.

Thankfully, the most efficient way to monitor crop health is through sophisticated laboratory testing, which is easily accessible. The potential sources of viral cannabis infection, early detection techniques, and preventative measures that growers can take are discussed below.

Viruses In Cannabis That Produce "Dud" Plants

Cannabis farmers are now experiencing an increase in "dud" harvests, and researchers have discovered three primary viruses that are responsible for the puzzling symptoms:

• Latent viral hopping

• Chlorosis virus in lettuce

• mysterious virus in marijuana

Hop Latent Viroid (HLVd), often known as "dudding" or the "dudding disease," is a single-stranded, circular infectious RNA virus that solely depends on the metabolism of the host plant for replication. As a result, it adversely affects the cells of the host. Hop latent viroids were first discovered in the hop plant, but they can also infect cannabis, a related hop, with more harmful results.

Describe More

HLVd was initially identified in the cannabis business in 2017, when a producer in California saw odd, ill-looking symptoms, such as yellow leaves and brittle stems, along with decreased yields in a portion of his crop. Experts looked into the root of the problem and found that the 2012 legalization wave had resulted in a rapid spread of viroid-carrying plants from California throughout the United States. The lettuce chlorosis virus (LCV), a member of the Crinivirus family, is a linear, single-stranded, positive-sense RNA virus that first appeared in Southern California desert lettuce plants. It is spread by the sweet-potato whitefly. Cannabis and hemp are two early-infected plants that have symptoms like HLVd, such as severe yellowing, brittleness, and stunted development.

The Partitiviridae family of viruses includes the double-stranded RNA Cannabis Cryptic Virus (CCV), which was originally discovered in Europe in 1941. Infected cannabis plants showed characteristics once thought to be caused by the hemp stripe Cannabis Cryptic Virus, such as yellow streaks, wrinkles, and rolled leaves. Researchers recently discovered the illness in these plants. Evidence suggests that pollen and seeds are the primary means of CCV transmission.

Threats From The Internet To Hemp And Cannabis Crops

Researchers think that the cannabis sector is currently heavily infected with viruses, particularly the hop latent viroid. The estimates that hop latent viroid impacts more than 30% of all cannabis plants in the U.S. and results in over $4 billion in annual revenue losses are supported by more than 200,000 tissue tests performed on cannabis crops throughout California between August 2018 and July 2021. Despite hop latent viroids' enormous capacity for destruction, many producers are still unaware of the risks they pose to their crops. In addition to HLVd, LCV and CCV affect cannabis plants and result in the following symptoms:

• Slower growth

• Broken stems

• Less flowers in mass

• A distorted or chlorotic leaf

• Decreased trichome synthesis and oil output

• Decreased potency

• Overall decline in quality and output

How Viruses Affect The Strength, Yield, And Appearance Of Cannabis

Cannabis plants that have been infected with the lettuce chlorosis virus, the Hop Latent Viroid Testing, and the Cannabis Cryptic Virus may seem smaller and deformed, with brittle, yellow leaves and branches. During infection, the plants become shorter and have closer-spaced nodes, which causes the buds to become smaller and farther apart. Sadly, less trichomes—the minute plant hairs that contain cannabinoids like THC and CBD, as well as antioxidants, terpenes, and other elements that give each strain its distinctive flavor and aroma—are produced in crops as a result of reduced flower size and spacing problems. In addition to lower yields, the combined impacts lead to a significant issue that is discovered during laboratory testing: a lack of potency. The amount of cannabinoids in plants infected with Hop Latent Viroid Testing may be half that of healthy plants. According to industry insiders, some infected crops can lose 50% to 70% of their THC content. This results in a loss of buyer contractors and severe resource waste.