Decoding Natural Hop Latent Viroid Tolerance with Ansley Burtch

Ansley Burtch is a Post-Baccalaureate Scholar in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at the University of Tennessee. Her undergraduate and post-baccalaureate research focuses on plant-pathogen interactions using computational genomics and transcriptomic approaches. She has also investigated the production of toxins by fungi and their impacts on human health.

At CannMed 26 she will present “Decoding Natural Viroid Tolerance: Genomic and Transcriptomic Analysis of HLVd Response in Cannabis”.

During our conversation, we discuss:

Why the research team decided to pursue natural tolerance as a Hop Latent Viroid defense strategy rather than resistance

Real-world observations that identified the Jamaican Lion cultivar as having a natural tolerance that keeps the viroid localized in the roots

Creating a chromosome-scale genome assembly of Jamaican Lion to enable more confident identification of candidate genes and pathways involved in tolerance.

Early findings suggesting the viroid activates genes that control root metabolism, as well as the anthocyanin and betalin pathways, during infection.

The long-term goal, to identify specific genetic markers linked to tolerance so breeders can intentionally select for viroid-tolerant cultivars.

Thanks to This Episode’s Sponsor: Advanced Nutrients

Advanced Nutrients will once again be a partner level sponsor for the CannMed 26 Summit and this year they have put together an amazing package for cultivators.

Advanced Cultivator Package which includes

Full Access to all the presentations, networking events, and meals at the CannMed 26 summit