As hops grows in popularity in Alberta, breeders work to create new varieties that can adapt to the climate and result in better yields.
Hops, a plant deemed Humulus lupulus, have been used in brewing beer for around 1,000 years. Hops are a bit different compared to the “average” crop. Only female plants are grown in the modern-day industry, and it’s all vegetative propagation, making it a long-term investment for farmers as the plant can remain productive on a well-kept site for up to 25 years, according to the Pennsylvania State University Extension.
“Hops are a perennial plant. They’re kind of like apples or grapes, where you have a named variety, and that thing is clonally propagated over and over again. When you buy a bag of hops, it has a cultivar name associated with it,” says Jason McCallum, research scientist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)’s Charlottetown Research and Development Centre, in an interview with the Alberta Seed Guide.
While Canada is a newer player on the hops scene, the country actually contributed to one of the most crucial developments in modern breeding over 100 years ago. A plant from Manitoba was sent to England to make crosses, which resulted in nearly all of the modern-day hop varieties possessing this wild Canadian plant in their pedigree, explains McCallum.
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