![]() ![]() The most prominent note that x331 was exhibiting was a disagreeable, almost sour character, but when I ignored that and focused on the background character, there was an incredibly rich melody of tropical fruits mixed with dank, earthy cannabis. Immediately, I was somewhat disappointed. When it became clear that x331 was approaching harvest maturity, I began visiting the plant daily to sniff the cones and estimate harvest date. As the start of our harvest window in mid-August approached, I began doing a field “rub-and-sniff” test on the plants to gauge approximate harvest date and get a sense of each female plant’s aroma characteristics. As the 2011 growing season progressed and we continued to record disease, pest, and general growth data, x331 was noticeably superior to it’s short trellis siblings, and certainly agronomically equal to any siblings established under the standard trellis the previous year. Although the plants established in 2011 were not quite as mature as the group established in 2010 (due to transplanting), there were several genotypes that were as vigorous as the 2010 group, including x331. Thus, in 2011 the selections from the 2010 short trellis plants were established under the standard trellis and one of the individuals in this group was 9-1-331 (x331 for short). greater population density), and it’s cheaper, too. The reasoning behind this approach is to evaluate many more individuals per unit area than we can under the standard trellis (ie. ![]() The idea behind the short trellis group was to evaluate those genotypes under field conditions for a growing season and then move only the superior individuals to the standard trellis. 18’ trellis) while roughly one third were established on a 6’ tall “short” trellis to test the viability of that selection system in Oregon. Approximately two thirds of the seedlings that I had generated were established under the standard trellis (ie. In 2010, a breeding nursery was established at the East Farm hop yard on the OSU research farm complex just East of Corvallis near the Willamette River. provide climbing support for the full 18’ trellis) for the first time during the second growing season. Thus in the U.S., hops are normally produced on an 18-20 ft tall trellis which, as you might imagine, introduces a number of production challenges for both breeding programs and commercial hop farms.ĭuring the establishment year, we normally provide the plants a 4’ tall bamboo stake to climb on so that the plants put resources into building a strong root system and then we string the plants (ie. Finally, hop plants need to attain a much longer physical length for optimum flower production than typical cultivated plants. ![]() ![]() The female plant is the cultivated form since the mature female flower, informally referred to as a ‘cone’, is the marketed commodity used in brewing. Second, hop is a dioecious species meaning that separate male and female plants are produced. First, it is a long-lived herbaceous perennial that usually does not reach full maturity in Western Oregon until the third growing season. Hop is a rather unique plant to work with for several reasons. This is the story of Strata, the first aroma hop released from this joint effort. Indie Hop’s role is to provide sensory testing and coordinate experimental beer production with select craft brewers across the U.S. As program leader, I oversee the breeding and initial testing effort by designing and performing crosses, selecting promising genotypes, and evaluating the selected genotypes at three locations for various agronomic and chemical traits. Aroma hops are valued for their very complex chemical profile that imparts unique flavors and aroma to beer although they may also be used to provide bitterness as well. Our task is to develop new aroma hop cultivars desired by the craft beer industry that are adapted for Oregon growing conditions, primarily the Willamette Valley area. My role is to serve as OSU’s technical lead for this program. The aroma hops breeding program is a joint effort between Indie Hops, a Portland-based hop merchant serving the craft beer industry, and Oregon State University. ![]()
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