Hop Botany, Cultivation, Hop Botany, Cultivation, and and Breeding Breeding . Importance of hops. Jason Perrault . Basic botanical Perrault Farms, Inc. information. Hop Breeding Company, LLC Select Botanicals Group, LLC-LLC-JohnJohn I. Haas, Inc. Crop development and cultivation. Impact of hop varieties. Variety development. The Importance of Hops Regional Economic Importance . U.S. Production centered in the PNW. 77% in WA. 16% in OR. 7% in ID. 2011 value (US) = $180 million . Annually Top 12 in crop value for Washington Humulus spp. Overview Humulus lupulus . Family: . “Hops” Cannabaceae . DioeciousDioecious,, perennial, climbing vine . Indigenous to the Northern Hemisphere . Cannabis . Origins in Europe: . C. sativa . H. lupulus var. lupulus . Origins in Asia (mainly Japan): . Humulus . H. lupulus var. cordifolius . H. japonicus . Origins in North America: . H. lupulus var. pubescens . H. yunnanensis . H. lupulus var. neomexicanus . H. lupulus . H. lupulus var. lupuloides (Neve 1991) 1 Hop Basics Dioecious Plants . Dioecious (male and female plants). Separate male and female plants . Genetically complex. MaleMale--nono commercial value . Commercial value derived from the . Female-Produces the valued strobiles, “cones” strobiles or “cones” of the female plant . Annual above ground. Male plants utilized only for hybridization . Perennial below. Pollination results in: . Allows for clonal propagation. Climbing bine requiring a support system. Unwanted seeds . Photoperiod sensitive . Increased cone size The “Cones” . These are the manufacturing unit of the commercial hop plant. The cones contain lupulin glands (actually modified vine hairs) . These glands contain the chemistry we are after: . Essential oils: well over 100 compounds, contribution to aroma. Soft resins: beta acids, and the all important alpha acids. Lupulin accounts for 20 – 30 % of cone weight. Mature Female “Cones” Male flowers at anthesis Annual vs. Perennial Clonal Propagation Growth . The above ground portion of the stem is annual. Propagation of hops purely vegetative . Dies off at dormancy. Root cuttings . The root is perennial, can survive low winter temps. Layygering . Requires a dormant period. The plant also produces . Softwood cuttings rhizomes (below ground stems). Resulting plants genetically identical to . Buds become new spring growth. parent material . Easily propagated from cuttings. 2 Climbing Bines . In the wildwild--usuallyusually found climbing on companion species. In cultivation, trellis is used. Typical Field Setup: . Trellis 18’ high . Plant spacing at 3. 5’ x14x 14’ or 7’ x7x 7’. Result is 889 plants per acre . Anchored twine is used to support plant growth. The vine wraps clockwise around string. Function of phototropism and thigmotropism (Light and Touch). Rapid growth: The hop plant will grow a foot or more a day under ideal conditions. 1818--25’25’ in a season. Developmental Physiology of the Photoperiod Sensitive Hop Plant (or Production Stages) . Hops are a short day plant. The hop plant goes through numerous stages of . Under a critical number of light hours - floral growth throughout the year. initiation. Each stage has its own unique characteristics. Also node dependant. Therefore each stage of growth requires its own . Over the critical amount, vegetative growth. unique management scheme. In shorter day areas, flowering occurs as soon as . Main Stages of Growth the node requirement in met-met-yieldyield not maximized. Dormancy . In longer day areasareas--vegetativevegetative growth is maximized . Spring regrowth prior to shortening days of mid to late summer. Vegetative Growth . Results in defined “Production Stages” . Reproductive Growth . Preparation for Dormancy Dormancy: October Dormancy: October through February through February . October through February: . What's going on in the field? Not a whole . Late summer the plant allocates lot. photosynthetically derived starches to . Comppppost applications. storage roots . Working the ground. The starch is converted into soluble sugars. Prepping new yards. These sugars are the energy needed to commence spring regrowth. 3 Spring Regrowth March Spring Regrowth March through May through May . The end of dormancy is signaled by increasing day length . What's happening in the field? and increasing temperatures in the spring. Spring pruningpruning--MarchMarch--AprilApril . The plant utilizes the soluble sugars as energy to . Effort to maximize consistency for training emerggye from dormancy and commence reg rowth. Weed control . The initial regrowth occurs rapidly producing vines . Applications of dry fertilizer unsuitable for crop production. Twining . The plant relies on the energy reserves of the root until . TrainingTraining-- one of the most important aspects of crop the end of May, at which time the starches and soluble production. sugars reach their lowest points of the year. Timing is varietal specific and critical. To maximize plant health, supplemental nutrient management will be needed. Generally target 3 vines per string. Irrigation begins Importance of Photoperiod Vegetative Growth Sensitivity . Hops are a short day plant. The vegetative growth stage, for the . Under a critical number of light hours (more purposes of crop production, occurs from accurately it is the length of the dark period)period)--floralfloral initiation. the end of May through the end of July. Also node dependant. It can be separated into two phases: . Over the critical amount, vegetative growth. 1. From May to the end of June/early July: . In shorter day areas, flowering occurs as soon as Plant growth is mainly found in the main vine the node requirement in met-met-yieldyield not maximized. and leaves. In longer day areasareas--vegetativevegetative growth is maximized . 2. July: The bulk of the above ground growth prior to shortening days of mid to late summer. occurs in lateral production. Vegetative Growth Vegetative Growth . This is a critical period: . What’s Happening in the field? . The plants reserves are used up. Monitor, monitor, monitor. The plant, even now, is already determining how much it is going to yield. Pest/Disease/Weed control . We need to manage plant health aggressively . Irrigation during this stage of growth. Fertility . The goal should be to maximize the health of the plant, while managing growthgrowth--thisthis is tricky. 4 Reproductive Growth . By the end of July floral production has commenced. The plant shifts its growth energy into production of cones. Vegetative production is greatly diminished. Photosynthetic capacity of the plant is maximized. By the time the cone matures, they can equal up to 50% of the above ground dry matter. Cannot increase cone #. Focus should be on maintaining plant health to maximize cone weight and resin/oil production. Water management . Nutrient management Gent, et. al. Preparation for Dormancy: End of August to beginning of September: . While not really a stage of growth, it is important in the development of the crop for next year. Photosynthetic production of carbohydrates exceeds the needs of ppplant development. The excess is transported to the roots for storage in the form of starch. Both the dry weight of the roots as well as starch content has peaked by October. The shortening days of late summer signal this transition, followed by cold October temperatures- Dormancy starts. Preparation for Dormancy: End of August to beginning of September: Harvest . What's Happening in the field? . Vines are cut and transported to picker. Harvest commences. Alternatively, use field strippers . Material is ran through stationary machine, cones are separatdted. Cones dried for 8-12 hours to 10% moisture. Dried cones are cooled (ambient) for 12 to 24 hours. Baled and transported immediately to cold storage. 5 Harvest Harvest . Mechanization is key. Cones are mechanically sorted from the leaves and vine. Cones are dried in forced air (()50 cfm/ft2) at 130 to 150 degrees F. Cones are compressed into 200 lb bales at 1010-- 12 lb/ cu. ft. Each bale requires 5.5 yards of burlap cloth. Comments on Development . The stages of hop plant growth need to be understood to properly manage the crop. Each stage is unique, thus unique management requirements. Yield is already being determined as early as April and May. To complicate things further: Much of this is variety dependant. The solution: Breeding varieties to Varietal Impact match the environment and meet the industry needs. Physiology and development are impacted by variety. Breeding objectives based on the needs . Crop management is varietal dependant. of all stakeholders. There is a strong genetic x environmental interaction. Objjpectives meant to provide brewers with . The goa l: Rea lize the max imum gene tic hops/hop products which enhance their potential. brews, while being agronomically efficient. The problem: Maximum genetic potential . Performance of a variety at every level, from cannot be reached in all environments. the farm to the brewery, adds to the overall health of the industry. 6 How important is this? Developing Objectives . Hop Supply Chain: Each link on the supply . The hop trade consists of two distinct markets: chain affects subsequent links. Alpha/Bitter . Processed hops. The efficiency of a hop has a corresponding impact on the . Yield measured in Kg. Alpha per acre. chain. Typically high alpha varieties, increasingly aroma. Breeding Farm Handler Brewery . Aroma Program Cost/Acre Cost Efficiency . Minimal processing. New Variety: Yield Storage Quality . Yield measured in