Common hop – you might call it hops – is a main ingredient in beer responsible for its rich flavor profile. Craft brewers and larger manufacturers alike are always looking for that new flavor. The April 22nd 2022 Sustainable, Secure Food Blog explains the breeding efforts that go into those new flavors – and there is additional work being done to make varieties of hop that are disease resistant, as well as drought and heat tolerant.
According to blogger John Henning, while hop is important in the beer industry, not a lot of research has focused on creating a genetic profile of the crop. Over the past decade, several breeders, including Hennig, have focused on creating genetic maps that outline “markers” to help guide us in our breeding.
Currently, we have only determined the markers for a few hop traits for use in our programs. Some important markers we know for hops are:
- Sex – this is important because only female lines are cultivated
- Disease resistance – we know the markers for Hop Powdery Mildew, Hop Downy Mildew
- Plant height – this is important because dwarf hops can be grown on a short trellis as a hedge—significantly reducing labor inputs
- Alpha acid levels – these contribute to the bittering potential that a hop will contribute to brewing
- Prevalent essential oils – these are more compounds that contribute to the flavor of beer
Recent developments in genomic tracing have lowered the cost of the process. More of these traits – and others soon to be identified – will be implemented into routine breeding. This is true for both the public breeding programs as well as private endeavors.
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