Testing and Screening Protocol for Hop Latent Viroid (HLVd)
Professor DeBacco

Tassa Saldi, PhD: Interview
We The Growers. (2022, March 17). Tassa Saldi, PhD – CoFounder and CEO of TUMI Genomics – E.11 [Video]. YouTube.    • Tassa Saldi, PhD –  CoFounder and CEO...  

Leaves Was the Standard
This does work
Petioles are slightly better
However, latest data indicates early accumulation in the root tissue before it saturates the plant and will show-up with reliability in the leaves throughout the plant.

Mother Plant (2 months and older)
Four leaf/petiole samples at different areas of the plant.
Systematic sampling throughout the canopy.
Root samples can be hard to get and do physical damage so leaves/petioles are preferred for this stage of plant development.

2 Months and Younger
Go for a root sample
This is because of the early accumulation here, the viroid load will likely be elevated improving the odds for detection on a young plant.

Frequency… Depends
Are you going to be keeping and/or cloning the plant?
Ideal window is 2-4 weeks to ensure continual screening to catch something early
2 weeks = best for actively growing plants
4 weeks = best for established plants

Plant Quarantine
If you bringing plants in there should be a 30-day quarantine to allow for proper evaluation and screening.
This may require multiple screenings to ensure only “clean” plants are brought in as part of the growing operation.

If You Get a Positive…
Isolate the plant and remove it
Full plant tag, bag and disposal is advised.
Remember it is transmitted by physical damage and sap transfer.
Also, the roots can have some of the highest viroid loads be avoid transfer contact of these as well.

Link to Lecture Slides: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RKqf...

*Due to the description character limit the full work cited for "Testing and Screening Protocol for Hop Latent Viroid (HLVd)" can be viewed at... https://docs.google.com/document/d/1t...