Powdery Mildew can be caused by hundreds of species of fungi, from several genera. Only a few species have been known to infect cannabis, mainly Golovinomyces ambrosiae and Podosphaera macularis.
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Erysiphe is another, thereâs so many possible candidates for powdery mildew, and Iâve identified significantly more than the two youâve listed from cannabis samples.
Once you get away from macrobody fungi, the world of mycology gets Incredibly weird and debates surrounding species/genus still continue to this day.
As a rule of thumb, in mycology labs, if youâve got someone that insists on going beyond family class for microfungi without running pcr that are not clearly sac club or glob fungi, they generally have a lot to learn.
Back on topic - if it passes for mycotoxins, but fails on total counts, the science is fairly clear - as long as the water activity is sufficiently low, the only folks whoâll have issues are immunocompromised individuals or those with allergic sensitivities to yeast/mold, and the simple truth is that regulations are risk management tools, not risk elimination tools.
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Erysiphe is a genus with over 400 species.
The preferred name for Erysiphe cichoracearum is now Golovinomyces cichoracearum
Golovinomyces is a genus of fungi in the family Erysiphaceae. It has 66 species.[2] Many of the species cause powdery mildew. Golovinomyces was originally circumscribed in 1978 by Uwe Braun as a section of genus Erysiphe .[3] It was promoted to distinct genus status in 1988.[4]
Iâm curious to know what other species youâve identified, if you care to share.
AnywaysâŚweâre basically saying the same thing 
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See what Iâm sayinâ, microfungi are bamboozlinâ 
Grab three different identification references from across the past 10-15 years of print, theyâll say different things in a number of cases.
regardless, powdery mildews are generally not dangerous, weâre not disagreeing 
We had a lil identification panel we offered back when I was working in cannabis analytics. Scoping spores was a super fun puzzle, but like I said, at a certain point with some microfungi, you just canât get that specific without expensive tools we didnât have reliable access to, but the few times we were allowed to send samples out to those that did, I can say certainly that not all powdery mildews are the same.
My name came up in this thread. Which got me reading into it.
I think sometimes people confuse mycotoxins with endotoxins. Mycotoxins being ones that were generated by the bodies of the microorganisms and left behind after decontamination. Endotoxins being literally the bodies of the microorganisms. Endotoxins are often pyrogens - which means they can cause folks to have immune responses like getting fevers.
They happen ALL THE TIME - which is why for pharmaceuticals (aka products which often end up consumed by sick people) they control for these in the starting materials.
They donât always control for these in the same way in FOOD products. In FOOD decontamination and sanitation are generally considered appropriate.
So really you have to consider what your flower is going to be used for down the line. Is it being consumed by a PATIENT who might not have a healthy immune system and end up with a fever which leads to a broader immune response and goes to the hospital? Certainly, we know that this happens in AIDS and cancer patients, for instance.
Or is it ending up in some party boy who just wants to get high and could probably roll around in the plague and come out alive?
For sure all microorganisms are different and some are vastly more dangerous than others (those are called objectionable organisms everywhere else except the cannabis industry) and the rest people generally donât give a fuck about - unless the product is going into really fucking sick people.
That is all. <3
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Fantastic reply and I couldnât agree more.
A lot of these kids forget that Cannabis is medicine, and a lot of people depend on it for well-being and the ability to live a typical, healthy, and functional existence. Youâd be pissed if your insulin sent you or a loved on to a hospital because of poor manufacturing standards and practices.
Personally, I cannot wait till the lawsuits start coming down for tainted product.
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Again though, the states responsibility is to manage risk, not eliminate it.
If I have a peanut allergy, and I buy a PBJ sandwich, whoâs liable? (a bit of a blunt example, but I hope the question is clear)
Weed is a plant, the flowers are ( or were) living organisms. Nature is dirty. If ones health obliges cleanliness above a certain expected par, one would always do best by purchasing more processed product.
Itâs one thing if thereâs a bit of powdery mildew on the bud I bought, but an entirely different thing if thereâs mold in my vape cart, tincture, or dab. Like, how badly do you need to mess up to have a processed product pop for mold contamination? Disgusting!
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