6.4
Development of healthy, high-performance hops with high alpha acid content and particular suitability for cultivation in the ElbeSaale region
Initial Situation The Elbe-Saale hop growing region covers 1,550 ha, which amounts to 7.6% of the total German hop growing area. The region thus makes a significant contribution to Germany's role in the world hop markets. Bitter and high alpha varieties dominate in the region. For the past 25 years, the main variety there has been the robust, high alpha Hallertauer Magnum. Yet, in more recent times, the share of the cultivation area devoted to Magnum has decreased from 65% to 39.8%, while the range of other varieties has expanded noticeably. Part of the reason for the decline of Magnum is its alpha acid yield of only 280 kg/ha. This is no longer competitive with yields of the Hüll-bred high alpha variety Herkules, which can produce more than 500 kg/ha of alpha acids. However, simply switching from Magnum to Herkules has not been successful in the Elbe-Saale region, because, in that region, Herkules is highly susceptible to crown rot. Objectives This project is designed to breed and test new, powerful and robust hop strains that can be cultivated economically under the special growing conditions of the Elbe-Saale region. The new plants must have a high alpha acid content and broad resistance especially to rot-causing pathogens. Furthermore, the plants must excel in climate adaptation and nutrient efficiency. The latter trait is particularly important within the context of the new Fertilizer Ordinance. This task was assigned to the Hüll Hop Research Center of the Bavarian State Research Center for Agriculture because of its world-renowned breeding expertise. The agriculture ministries of the three hop-growing states of Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony support this work financially. Implementation and method
Crossings -
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Targeted crossings with pre-selected Hüll breeding material Mildew resistance testing in the greenhouse and laboratory (see 6.5) Seedling testing (single plants) in the greenhouse Cultivation tests with reduced use of pesticides and fertilizers o 3-year cultivation test in Hüll o 4-year extended tests at two trial locations in the Hallertau Series of cultivation trials on commercial farms in the Hallertau and the Elbe-Saale region Chemical analyses of cone compounds (IPZ 5d) Organoleptic assessment of flavors Virus testing using DASELISA (Double Antibody Sandwich Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay) technology (IPZ 5b) Tests for Verticillium infestation using the real-time PCR (Maurer et al., 2013; Seigner et al., 2017) Pathogen elimination via meristem culture
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