Viruses
Viruses rarely kill
Cannabis. They only exist and replicate in living plants. Viruses can, however, seriously reduce yields. Once acquired, they are nearly impossible to eradicate. Viruses invade all parts of plants. Pollen and seed infections transmit viruses to subsequent generations.
Five viral syndromes are described in the literature. In addition to these naturally-occurring infections, Hartowicz
et al. (1971) screened 22 common plant viruses for their ability to infect wild hemp. Over half the viruses could infect
Cannabis.
The hemp streak virus (HSV) is frequently cited on fiber cultivars in Europe. Foliar symptoms begin as a pale green chlorosis. Chlorotic areas soon develop into a series of interveinal yellow streaks or chevron-stripes. Some-times brown necrotic flecks appear, each fleck surrounded by a pale green halo. Flecks appear along the margins and tips of older leaves and often coalesce. Streak symptoms predominate in moist weather, flecks appear during dry weather. Leaf margins become wrinkled and leaf tips roll upward, leaflets curl into spirals. Whole plants assume a "wavy wilt" appearance.
The hemp mozaic virus has been described on fiber cultivars in Europe and drug cultivars in Pakistan. Symptoms were described as a gray leaf mosaics. Three other viruses have been cited on European hemp—the alfalfa mozaic virus (=lucerne mozaic virus), cucumber mozaic virus, and the arabis mozaic virus. Many insects transmit these viruses as they feed from plant to plant. According to Ceapoiu (195
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, the worst vectors of
Cannabis viruses are bhang aphids (
Phorodon cannabis), greenhouse whiteflies (
Trialeudodes vaporariorum), onion thrips (
Thrips tabaci) and green peach aphids (
Myzus persicae).