Wild Wild West: Emerging Viruses and Viroids of Hemp. (1st August 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Nachappa, Punya; Fulladolsa, Ana Cristina; Stenglein, Mark
• Is Part Of: Outlooks on pest management. Volume 31:Number 4(2020)
• Page Start: 175
• Page End: 179
• Publication Date: 2020-08-01
• Subjects: Pesticides -- Periodicals; Pesticides -- Application -- Periodicals; 632.905
• DOI: 10.1564/v31_aug_07
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1743-1034

Abstract

Hemp (Cannabis sativa) or industrial hemp is a rapidly growing industry in the United States. However, the crop has been poorly studied in the US since its production declined in the late 1950s, and information on the biological and agricultural factors affecting hemp is limited. With the passage of the 2014 Farm Bill, hemp is no longer considered an illegal plant and is now a legal agricultural crop in the US. Within the bill, Section 7606 (Legitimacy of Industrial Hemp Research) provided a formal definition of the crop as "the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of such plant, whether growing or not, with a delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis". In addition, the 2018 Farm Bill addressed many issues that had previously impeded development of the crop. Currently, 46 US states have enacted laws removing barriers to its production. In 2019, hemp production was 206, 965 hectares with 16, 877 grower licenses across 34 states, according to "US Hemp Report" (www.votehemp.com). This is a greater than 455% increase over 2018 licensed acreage. Colorado, the leading state in hemp production increased production from 4, 873 licensed hectares (346 growers) in 2017 to 12, 525 licensed hectares (835 growers) in 2018. The US retail sales of hemp products was reported at $1.2 billion in 2018. The most profitable market for North American hemp is oilseed production and cannabidiol (CBD), a nonintoxicant cannabinoid with promising therapeutic use as a pharmaceutical product. Current CBD sales are estimated at $190 million and are projected to reach $2.5 billion by 2022. As we enter this new era of hemp production, plant diseases associated with the crop in the US and associated disease management needs are essentially undescribed. The emergence of phytopathogens and their spread is a rising concern as hemp production increases. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify emerging and established hemp viruses and viroids, elucidate their diversity and distribution, develop early pathogen detection tools, and provide hemp growers, industry and other stakeholders information and resources to make timely management decision and minimize crop loss.