Performance of Hop Cultivars Grown with Artificial Lighting under Subtropical Conditions

Nathalia Rodrigues Leles; Alessandro Jefferson Sato; Leo Rufato; Jessiane Mary Jastrombek; Viviani Vieira Marques; Robson Fernando Missio; Nelson Luis Mello Fernandes; Sergio Ruffo Roberto

doi:10.3390/plants12101971

Performance of Hop Cultivars Grown with Artificial Lighting under Subtropical Conditions

Plants (Basel). 2023 May 12;12(10):1971. doi: 10.3390/plants12101971.

Authors

Nathalia Rodrigues Leles¹, Alessandro Jefferson Sato², Leo Rufato³, Jessiane Mary Jastrombek³, Viviani Vieira Marques¹, Robson Fernando Missio², Nelson Luis Mello Fernandes⁴, Sergio Ruffo Roberto¹

Affiliations

¹ Agricultural Research Center, Agronomy Department, State University of Londrina, Celso Garcia Cid Road, km 380, Londrina 86057-970, Brazil.
² Agricultural Sciences Unit, Agronomical Sciences Department, Federal University of Parana, Pioneiro Street 2153, Palotina 86057-970, Brazil.
³ AgroVeterinarian Center, Agronomy Department, Santa Catarina State University, Luiz de Camões Ave., 2090, Lages 88520-000, Brazil.
⁴ Agricultural Sciences Unit, Veterinary Sciences Department, Federal University of Parana, Pioneiro Street 2153, Palotina 86057-970, Brazil.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the duration of the main phenological stages, plant growth development, yield, and cone quality of hop cultivars grown under artificial light (17 h per day) during vegetative development (early season) in a subtropical climate region. The study was conducted in Palotina, Paraná, Brazil (24° S), during the 2021 and 2022 growing seasons. The plants were cultivated in a 5.5 m high trellis system with artificial light supplementation during vegetative development. The hop cultivars Hallertau Mittelfrüher, Mapuche, Northern Brewer, Spalter, and Yakima Gold were used in the treatments. The duration of the phenological stages, vegetative growth (plant height, fresh mass of the plants, number of lateral branches per plant), components of productive yield (number of cones per side branch, number of cones per plant, fresh mass, length, and width of the cone, production of fresh cones per plant, and yield), and chemical components of the cones (alpha- and beta-acid contents, and essential oil concentrations) were recorded. The duration of the phenological stages was visually evaluated, and plant growth was analyzed using non-linear log-logistic regression. The remaining data were subjected to analysis of variance and the means were compared using Tukey's test. The data were also subjected to multivariate analysis using the principal components test, correlation analysis, and hierarchical grouping. The cultivar Mapuche was considered an early hop in both seasons, and the cultivars Spalter and Yakima Gold were considered early cultivars in the second season. In both seasons, the productive yield components were positively correlated with the precocity of the cultivars, in which Mapuche in the 2021 season and Mapuche, Spalter, and Yakima Gold in the 2022 season had the highest mean of the number of cones per side branch and per plant, production per plant, and productivity. The cultivar Yakima Gold had a positive correlation with the chemical quality of cones, alpha and beta acid contents, and essential oil concentrations, for both seasons.

Keywords: Humulus lupulus L.; alpha-acids; beer; essential oils; lupulin.

Grants and funding

N.R.L’s Master’s student scholarship was granted by Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel, Brazil (CAPES), financial code 001.