Advances in shoot tip cryotherapy-based methods for virus and viroid eradication in horticultural crops

Abstract

Viral diseases are a major constraint to sustainable agricultural production and are especially problematic in vegetatively propagated crops. Reliable detection and eradication methods are needed to ensure the supply of disease-free plants for industry, breeding, and germplasm conservation programs. Shoot tip cryotherapy, a practical application of cryopreservation for pathogen eradication, has proven effective in eradicating viruses and viroid diseases in many economically important crops. Despite the success of cryotherapy, its efficiency depends on the pathogen location within the shoot tip and the differential survival of cells following cryoexposure. Recent advances in removing difficult-to-eradicate pathogens, particularly those that can infect the meristem, rely on combining thermotherapy and/or chemotherapy with cryotherapy (Li et al., 2025). Understanding when and how to combine these methods is critical for achieving reliable sanitation, especially in crops with mixed infection or those recalcitrant to specific treatment conditions. This abstract outlines recent advances in cryotherapy-based methods for virus and viroid eradication in horticultural plants