Biotech company Conception Nurseries published a white paper revealing tissue culture cloning methods that lead to cost-effective, contamination-free cannabis production. The approach increases crop yield and combats viruses and viroids.
The paper documents how Conception Nurseries uses thorough sampling and testing for viruses and viroids to confirm younger plants are pathogen-free. Some viruses and viroids that can threaten cannabis health include Hop Latent Viroid (HLVd), Lettuce Chlorosis Virus (LCV), Alfalfa Mosaic Virus (AMV), Tomato Mosaic Virus (TMV), and Beet Curly Top Virus (BCTV). Pathogens can cause slowed growth, decreased cannabinoid production, and lower plant output. Conception Nurseries utilizes meristem culture initiation to reduce viral risk and contamination. The process starts with taking apical cuttings and lateral cuttings from young cannabis plants during the vegetative phase. The next step is indexing to identify endophytic microbes such as fungi or bacteria. Contamination-free plants are selected for continued production, and the tainted plants are destroyed following plant waste protocol.
The white paper highlights the importance of using clean and healthy plant stock to ensure pathogen-free cultivation. Identical tissue-cultured clones grown in disease-free environments early in the growing cycle decrease the risk of infected plants throughout the vegetative and flowering stages.
The paper also outlines the advantages and challenges of using tissue-cultured clones compared to traditional mother plant propagation. Using tissue-culture clones can reduce expenses related to labor, sterilization equipment, contamination supplies, and other resources. Less-than-perfect sanitary tissue culture methods are the most common factor in increased financial and plant inventory loss. The researchers recommend tissue-cultured plants instead of the traditional mother plant propagation model to minimize costs and promote plant health.
The authors recommend that growers pay attention to the unique needs of each cultivar as they assess plant output and quality.
Sources: Cannabis Business Times, Conception Nurseries, Eureka News Alert