Testing for HLVd, other cannabis diseases now available

Nova offers among the most comprehensive testing menu of any cannabis testing lab, and is the only lab in Maine that offers HLVd, LCV and CCV testing. The Portland-based lab provides analytical services to the adult use cannabis industry, medical caregivers, hemp CBD businesses, and the general public.

Recent articles have highlighted the growing threat posed by HLVd. The virus can greatly impact yield and could cause a $4-billion loss in cannabis crops. HLVd has been detected throughout Canada and the U.S.

HLVd is an infectious pathogen that causes disease in cannabis and hop plants. The "latent" term in the name represents its characteristic to lie dormant in plants for a long time without exhibiting symptoms. Because HLVd can be asymptomatic, a diagnostic screening test like that offered by Nova is the quickest way to identify its presence. The effect of the disease is often referred to as dudding, with symptoms that include stunted trichome production, abnormal branching, reduced vigor, and low yield. Infections typically spread when infected clones are added to a previously healthy growing environment. HLVd can also spread by mechanical transmission such as pruning tools. Some of the tests performed by Nova in 2021 on cannabis plants in Maine have detected HLVd.

Lettuce Chlorosis Virus (LCV) is commonly found in lettuce plants grown in Southern California, but can also infect cannabis. Infected plants may have stunted growth, but signs of disease may not be obvious until a few weeks into flowering. Symptoms include yellow, rolling, and brittle leaves. Although the infection won't kill the plant, infected plants will produce smaller flowers with fewer trichomes, cannabinoids, and terpenes.

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Source: Greenhouse Grower