More than 90% of California cannabis farms are infected with a ‘severe’ pathogen called Hop-Latent Viroid (HLVd). An infectious pathogen inside California’s pot farms called Hop-latent viroid, or HLVd 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 cannabis farm in California and could be causing billions of dollars in damages to the U.S.’s largest State and it’s largest cannabis economy. [1]

Hop-latent viroid, or HLVd, shrivels pot plants and reduces how much weight they produce by as much as 30%. It also destroys the amount of THC, marijuana's most common active compound, that a plant produces, greatly reducing the value of affected plants. [1]

HLVd was first documented in cannabis in a pair of scientific studies published in 2019, including a study that confirmed the viroid’s presence in samples from a Santa Barbara pot farm. It’s now infected at least 90% of California’s cannabis grows, according to a 2021 estimate. It’s spreading globally, and a recent scientific paper declared the pathogen was the “biggest concern for cannabis” growers worldwide. [4] [5] [6]

Hop-latent viroid (HLVd is a serious disease that can devastate cannabis crops. The viroid causes a number of symptoms, including stunted growth, leaf curling, and discoloration. In severe cases, HLVd can ki1l entire plants.

HLVd has likely been spreading in cannabis farms for more than a decade, but at first, growers didn’t know what was harming their harvest. It was commonly called “dudding,” and it would only show up at the end of the crop’s life cycle, distorting the plant’s shape and reducing the amount of active compounds produced, like THC, by as much as 50%. This effect can destroy the retail value of a crop. [7]

HLVd’s late-acting symptoms make it a pernicious pest for modern cannabis farming. Farmers commonly grow cannabis by cutting small pieces off of one plant, frequently called the “mother,” which is then used to propagate hundreds of new baby plants.

These mother plants are artificially prevented from growing flowers, which allows them to keep producing offspring, but it also delays the symptoms of HLVd. That means a single mother plant infected with HLVd could silently spread the pathogen for months without showing any symptoms of the disease.

HLVd was first identified in hop plants, a close relative of cannabis, in the 1980s. It’s now commonly found in hop farms and can reduce the amount of aromatic compounds produced by hops, which are primarily used to flavor beer. [8]

In 2019, HLVd was first identified in cannabis when scientists confirmed the viroid’s presence in samples from a Santa Barbara pot farm. But by 2021, the viral pathogen had spread to at least 90% of the state’s pot farms, according to a 2021 survey that sampled 200,000 California cannabis plants.

And now the viroid has spread to pot farms across the world, from Massachusetts to Europe. [9] [6] [10]

Traditional methods of treating HLVd, such as fungicides and insecticides, are often toxic and ineffective. In addition, these treatments are harmful to the environment and can leave residues on the plants that can be toxic to consumers. The deleterious health problems caused by toxicants are increasing due to their penetration and accumulation through the food chain, and their persistence in the ecosystem. Such contaminants can cause acute and chronic diseases in the human body, such as lung cancer, renal dysfunction, osteoporosis, and cardiac failure. [2]

UV-C and 222nm Far UV-C are emerging technologies that show promise for treating HLVd. UV-C light is a type of ultraviolet radiation that has a wavelength of 200-280 nanometers. 222nm Far UV-C light is a type of UV-C light that has a wavelength of 222 nanometers. If you wish to destroy pathogens like HLVd, using 222nm far UV-C, 222nm light photons travel 1000 feet in one microsecond. Photons from the lamp reach an opposing wall in 1/20 of a microsecond. At 500 feet per minute air flow, it can achieve 4-log reduction in bacteria at a treatment time less than 1/8 second. That means that Far-UV line-of-sight disinfection can prevent viruses from surviving any airborne trip inside a light zone of a Far-UV lamp. [3]

UV-C and 222nm Far UV-C light are both non-toxic and environmentally friendly. They are also effective against a wide range of other pathogens, including bacteria, fungi, and mold.

UV-C Treatment for HLVd Management

While specific studies on UV-C treatment for HLVd in cannabis are scarce, the broad efficacy of UV-C in combating plant pathogens and viroids suggests its potential application for managing HLVd infections. UV-C light has been utilized in horticulture and agriculture to control various plant diseases by damaging the genetic material of pathogens.

Benefits of UV-C Treatment

Inactivation of HLVd: UV-C treatment has the potential to disrupt the genetic material of HLVd, inhibiting its replication and reducing the viroid load in cannabis plants. This can help prevent the detrimental effects on yield and THC production caused by HLVd infection.

Non-chemical Approach: UV-C treatment offers a non-chemical alternative to manage HLVd, reducing the reliance on traditional fungicides and pesticides. This can be advantageous for cannabis growers aiming to minimize chemical inputs and adopt sustainable cultivation practices.

Considerations for UV-C Treatment

Dosage and Exposure: Determining the appropriate UV-C dosage and exposure duration is crucial to ensure effective HLVd inactivation while minimizing potential harm to the cannabis plants. Generally dosing infected plants for around 20 seconds per plant 3-5 times per week for approximately 15-30 seconds should be sufficient. Consultation with experts in plant pathology and agricultural research is recommended to establish specific guidelines tailored to HLVd on cannabis.

Implementation and Safety: UV-C treatment should be implemented with care to avoid any adverse effects on plant health. Proper protective measures, such as wearing appropriate eyewear, hazmat suits, and ensuring operator safety, must be followed when working with UV-C lamps or LED systems. With 222nm far UV-C exposure should be limited to about 8 hours per day, as 222nm far UV-C is a shorter wavelength that does not penetrate past the Stratum corneum, the ‘dead layer’ of the skin. [11]

Conclusion

UV-C and 222nm Far UV-C are emerging technologies that show promise for treating HLVd. Although specific studies directly addressing UV-C treatment for HLVd on cannabis are currently limited, the potential of UV-C light to inactivate plant pathogens and viroids suggests its applicability in managing HLVd infections. UV-C treatment offers a non-chemical approach to mitigate the detrimental effects of HLVd on cannabis plants, safeguarding crop yield and preserving THC production. While further research is necessary to establish specific guidelines for UV-C treatment of HLVd on cannabis, its potential benefits warrant exploration. By harnessing the power of UV-C treatment, cannabis growers can enhance their ability to combat HLVd, protect crop productivity, and preserve the value of their plants. These technologies are safe, effective, and environmentally friendly. If you are a cannabis grower, (especially a California-based grower) who is struggling to control HLVd, UV-C and 222nm Far UV-C light may be a viable option for you.

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I Did it ahahahahah

Big Pharma and Mega Corporations strike again. You really thought they weren’t going to infiltrate and sabotage this gift from GOD, like everything else? Sounds like it’s doing exactly what it was designed to do on some Monsanto sh1t.

So all of that land and harvest is screwed? One thing i always didn't really agree with is using a whole lotta land just to grow weed. I thought that was hard on the surrounding environment like weed would be an invasive species

kuul said 🔗 So all of that land and harvest is screwed? One thing i always didn't really agree with is using a whole lotta land just to grow weed. I thought that was hard on the surrounding environment like weed would be an invasive species

It's spreading because of the widespread use of cloning and propagation in CA.

Indoor grown flower>>>>>

I live in the Midwest. I wonder how this will effect ppl not in Cali. But I've been doing more gummies and vapes over the last 6 months i rarely smoke tree anymore

and these weed junkies gon keep smoking it

natural selection at its finest

hopefully the entire legal weed operation gets infected wit this sh1t and forces junkies into forced rehab

fr LOSERS

the worst possible fate in this era is to be a weed addicted junkie loser

JetLifeSwag said 🔗 and these weed junkies gon keep smoking it natural selection at its finest hopefully the entire legal weed operation gets infected wit this sh1t and forces junkies into forced rehab

nobody goes into rehab for weed....stop trolling

i dont have ANY close friends that smoke on weed.

its literally a drug made for LOSERS

everything else - alcohol, cocaine, mdma etc are bad too but at least they can make up for people's sh1t tier personalities.

weed just makes people antisocial, boring, and ret@rded ALL AT THE SAME TIME

why do yall smoke this poison?

JetLifeSwag said 🔗 and these weed junkies gon keep smoking it natural selection at its finest hopefully the entire legal weed operation gets infected wit this sh1t and forces junkies into forced rehab

fu#k you lmao. No one is telling you to smoke it. $TFU and get back to YOUR addiction of trolling you fu#king f@ggot.

awww said 🔗 I Did it ahahahahah

Did your mother sucking d1ck for crack drive you to do this?

Good thing I live in San Francisco

4 grams of fire for $20

its hilarious. look at these weed lovers above.

they always adamantly try to pretend they aint junkie losers when the reality is much more sad.

its like the alcoholics that pretend they aint got a drinking problem, or the functional heroin user that pretends they aint got a problem since they hold down a 9-5.

yall been psyop'd too hard to believe that weed is beneficial to anybody apart from big pharma.

UrDoinGood said 🔗 Good thing I live in San Francisco 4 grams of fire for $20

Yep, cheap Cali bud infected with HLVd because Cali growers are too frugal to invest in UV-C and proper disinfection technology that actually destroys pathogens, and Cali growers are all cloning like it's going out of style.

Been living in Cali and the growers are stingy af. Their bud is all HLVd infected now because of all of the corners they cut. The era of Cali having the best bud is long gone.

Thailand and Germany about to take that crown.

awww said 🔗 I Did it ahahahahah

Damnnnnnn You!!!!!!!!!

Keep that sh1t on the west coast. These $15-20 7s have been beautiful the past few weeks in FL…

Soul Speak said 🔗 Big Pharma and Mega Corporations strike again. You really thought they weren’t going to infiltrate and sabotage this gift from GOD, like everything else? Sounds like it’s doing exactly what it was designed to do on some Monsanto sh1t.

Why y'all slap this post this sh1t sounds logical

Cyncere30 said 🔗 Why y'all slap this post this sh1t sounds logical

it mostly makes sense apart from the "gift from god".

sh1ts crazy - its literally poison which if you're familiar with the scriptures means it is a vessel of satan

JetLifeSwag said 🔗 i dont have ANY close friends that smoke on weed. its literally a drug made for LOSERS everything else - alcohol, cocaine, mdma etc are bad too but at least they can make up for people's sh1t tier personalities. weed just makes people antisocial, boring, and ret@rded ALL AT THE SAME TIME why do yall smoke this poison?

How many on prescription pills though ...these arguments be funny...n1gga drink a 12 pack or a bottle and think it's cool but have his face turned up at a blunt...glwts

awww said 🔗 I Did it ahahahahah

Bless me with some weed hate goddamnit...audio clip it....this should be you instead of Mike

I will cashapp you a dollar my n1gga

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Cyncere30 said 🔗 Why y'all slap this post this sh1t sounds logical

Could be a conspiracy... HLVd has only been around since 2017... much like Covid, it's yet another new pathogen.

Even weed ain't safe outchea

Hop latent viroid is a recently identified plant-specific pathogenic RNA. With the ability to infect cannabis, some in the industry think this may be the major cause of previously unexplained “dud” plants during clone propagation.

Here we’ll explore the nature of this infectious plant disease, its known symptoms, and how to prevent tr@nsmission in your grow operation.

Hop Latent Viroid: A Novel RNA Virus

The story of Hop Latent Viroid or HLVd first started in California in 2017 when cannabis grower Graham Farrar of Gla$s House Farms noticed strange symptoms and reduced yields in a subset of his plants.

Baffled as to what was causing these plants to become so sickly, Farrar reached out to researchers at the University of California Davis, known for its strong plant science program and ties to the agricultural industry.

This eventually led to a successful research collaboration with Phylos Bioscience, an Oregon-based cannabis genetic testing company. Researchers at Phylos sequenced samples of Farrar’s sick plants and identified a novel RNA virus.

The results were published in 2019 in the journal Plant Disease and independently verified by another research group affiliated with Dark Heart Nursery in Oakland, California. They named the novel RNA virus Hop Latent Viroid. Unlike a traditional virus which relies on DNA to infect its host, RNA viruses, like the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for COVID-19, use RNA.

HLVd Symptoms in Cannabis

HLVd causes noticeable symptoms in cannabis plants including:

Growth stunting
Brittle stems
Reduced trichomes and oil production
Reduced flower mass
Malformation and/or chlorosis of the leaves
Researchers now think HLVd is likely widespread among cannabis growers across the country. However, due to its very recent identification, many growers may not be aware of its existence or familiar with its symptoms.

Another confounding factor in controlling the spread of HLVd is its tendency to lay dormant. As its name suggests, the virus can remain latent or inactive within infected plants, showing no discernible symptoms.

HLVd’s latency allows it to quietly spread until a secondary stress from heat, nutrition, or a pest allows the virus to activate and take hold. This makes a new outbreak difficult to detect without testing. Clones propagated from a single infected mother plant are especially vulnerable and researchers believe HLVd may be the cause of seemingly random episodes of clonal dudding.

Cuttings taken from an infected plant for clonal propagation tend to have lower rates of rooting success. But if the virus remains latent and the clones make it past rooting, an environmental stressor during the growth phase could cause between 10-30% of your plants to succumb to HLVd.

Preventative Measures

There’s still much to be learned when it comes to the disease tr@nsmission and progression of HLVd in cannabis. However, it appears that the virus is mainly spread through mechanical means or fomite tr@nsmission which involves contact of a susceptible host with a contaminated object.

The good news is that you can prevent this type of tr@nsmission by using best practices for cleanliness. Sanitize all of your tools prior to propagation. A diluted bleach solution may be more effective than alcohol in ki1ling virus particles. Also consider quarantining and carefully inspecting any new varieties you receive before adding them to the rest of your plant stock.
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This is what n1ggaz in cali brag and spend lots of $$$ on.

n1ggas got got

This is going to promote starting from seed…if you go on the cannabis threads on Reddit they are clowning people who start from seed…..

Guess who is laughing now

I stopped getting clones from others when 1 granddaddy purple had bugs & infected my whole grow.