Hops Latent Viroid (HLVd) is pervasive in the cultivation of hops, hemp and cannabis. In cannabis, it can be devastating to farms with expert estimates of $4,000,000,000 annualized loss in the USA alone. In November 2025, MMJ Daily cited a study of 200,000 tissue tests samples run in California, over 90% of operators had infected plants. HLVd spreads easily in propagation, soil re-use, water runoff, and insect pests such as aphids and thrips.

 

One of the early CA nurseries, Dark Heart, termed this the "dudding disease" because plants would suddenly, randomly, just stop growing. Stressors, such as heat stress, water stress, or simply depriving light (18/6 to 12/12) can exacerbate the situation. For this reason, many nurseries believe their plants to be visually healthy but then they suddenly stall out in early flower. Plants get saggy & brittle, and do not yield large nor potent flowers. As such, HLVd can be a farm killer, as we've witnessed all too often. 

 

GrowBIG set out to bring control to growers. In order to get control, growers need immediate, same-day data that outside labs simply cannot provide. LAMP-based testers (Loop-mediated isothermal amplification) and other hobby-style instruments are too inaccurate, especially when they fall out of calibration. Typical qPCR instruments cost too much for a farm to absorb (quantitative polymerase chain reaction instruments cost mid-5 and into 6-figures).

 

We chose Hyris™, from Europe, and their bCUBE™ qPCR instrument. Small, portable, inexpensive (~$8,000) and highly accurate (FDA certified, 99.8% accuracy). The Hyris bCUBE was developed decades ago for agricultural pathogen testing, and later widely utilized for factory-level COVID-19 testing at essential workplaces. It is highly portable at only ~5" cubed, and has WiFi and Ethernet connections. A team of scientists developed the Hops Latent Viroid testing kits, and is in production via Hyris' FDA-certified facilities.

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To run the Hyris bCUBE, you simply power it on and drive it from any browser interface, even a smartphone. Take your root tissue samples, add the extraction buffer to the conical collection tubes, heat them up for 8 minutes in the incubator, pipette the extraction into the cartridges (up to 36 samples at a time, including the positive and negative control wells), and click the "launch" button on your browser. Results in 2 hours, plenty of time to collect your next sample runs and prep the cartridges. Can run hundreds of tests per day, even set the last one to run and go home.

 

GrowBIG is not the sole/exclusive distributor of the Hyris bCUBE, but we are the only US company that stocks and bundles it all together. You get the bCUBE, the sample incubator, the proper pipette tools and disposable tips, conical tubes and a rack, a 4-page, detailed but bulletized SOP with pictures, expert support, and optional onsite lab setup and operator training (lab space required is approx 24"x 40", operator training is 2-4 hours). The one-time investment is under $10,000 and the operating expense is around $12-15/test. 

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Oh, and we run this internally for Salinas-area walk-in clients. Works amazing, staff is fully trained, and when it's not in use the whole lab collapses into a little cabinet. The lab services are helpful for determining the extent of the infection in your mother stock. We've done randomized samples of flower rooms and immature plants as well. Quick turn, 4-6 business hours to get your data & report.

 

But to really get HLVd under full control, we highly recommend investing in the platform and bringing it in-house. You can routinely check your Mom stock (every 3-4 months), test incoming/quarantined genetics, and react immediately to any visual cues. HLVd cannot be cured, but by following these best practices your facility can get full control and avert potential disasters. 

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To order with onsite training, please contact us via this Inquiry Form. Or to purchase your platform today, purchase online and we'll send it out plus provide instructions and video/phone support. If needed, we can setup an onsite visit to follow.

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You'll need these one-time items:

• Hyris bCUBE 2.0 Instrument

• Dry Bath Incubator (15 or 40-sample options)

• Pipette for 0.5-10uL

• Pipette for 10uL-100uL

• Mini Centrifuge (optional)

• Conical Tube Rack to hold the 1.5mL collection tubes

Thereafter, your operating supplies should include:

• Hyris/Cosanta HLVd wet reaction test kit

• 16-well and/or 36-well cartridges that run in the bCUBE

• Conical tubes for collecting plant tissue samples

• Pipette tips (10uL and 100uL, you'll go thru more of the 10uL)

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