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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fort Collins, Colorado » Center for Agricultural Resources Research » Agricultural Genetic Resources Preservation Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #422307
Research Project: Curation and Research to Safeguard and Expand Collections of Plant and Microbial Genetic Resources and Associated Descriptive Information

Location: Agricultural Genetic Resources Preservation Research

Title: Cryotherapy-based methods for virus and viroid eradication in horticultural plants

Author
item LI, JING-WEI - Guizhou University
item WANG, MIN-RUI - Chinese Academy Of Tropical Agricultural Sciences
item HAMBORG, ZHIBO - Norwegian Institute Of Bioeconomy Research(NIBIO)
item BLYSTAD, DAG-RAGNAR - Norwegian Institute Of Bioeconomy Research(NIBIO)
item Volk, Gayle
item BETTONI, JEAN - New Zealand Institute Of Plant & Food Research
item WANG, QIAO-CHUN - Northwest A&f University

Submitted to: Plant Disease
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/7/2025
Publication Date: 5/22/2025
Citation: Li, J., Wang, M., Hamborg, Z., Blystad, D., Volk, G.M., Bettoni, J.C., Wang, Q. 2025. Cryotherapy-based methods for virus and viroid eradication in horticultural plants. Plant Disease. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-02-25-0384-FE.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-02-25-0384-FE

Interpretive Summary: Plant pathogens affect agricultural production and limit the transfer of plant materials across national borders. Clonally propagated crops, such as those propagated by grafting, runners, rooted cuttings, bulbs, or other non-seed based methods, often harbor viruses and viroids if they have been grown in field conditions and originated from unsanitized source materials. Cryotherapy is a method whereby viruses or viroids may be eradicated from plant shoot tips after exposure to liquid nitrogen either alone or in combination with thermotherapy, chemotherapy, or cold therapy. This manuscript provides an update on recent research that has successfully eliminated pathogens through cryotherapy methods. In addition, it provides sources of information about how cryotherapy methods can be implemented in laboratories to successfully sanitize clonally propagated plant materials.

Technical Abstract: Rapid population growth poses a major challenge to global food security. Promoting and maintaining sustainable agricultural production is necessary to ensure the global food security. Virus and viroid diseases constitute a major constraint to the sustainable agricultural production. Cultivation and distribution of pathogen-free plants is the most effective strategy for controlling virus and viroid diseases, and their spread in the landscape. Cryotherapy-based methods are recently-developed novel biotechnologies for the efficient production of pathogen-free plants. This comprehensive review outlines updated information on the development and advances in cryotherapy-based methods for plant virus and viroid eradication. Mechanisms underlining cryotherapy-based methods for improved pathogen eradication are discussed, and suggestions for further studies are proposed.