Hop: An Emerging Crop in Subtropical Areas in Brazil

Abstract

Brazil is one of the three largest beer producers in the world. Four basic ingredients are needed as raw material for the production of beer: water, malt, yeast, and hops (Humulus lupulus L.). Until recently, almost all of the hops in Brazil were imported from other countries. However, in the last decade, hop cultivation in Brazil has emerged due to the increase in the number of new craft breweries, which have demanded diversified raw material for the production of various types of beer. Hops is considered a short-day, temperate species, so the major challenge for the development of hop cultivation in Brazil, with high-yield capacity and with local typicity of bitterness and aroma, is the adaptation of cultivars to the photoperiod conditions in subtropical regions. This review addresses the history of hop cultivation in Brazil and characterizes the main climatic elements of three emerging subtropical growing regions located at different latitudes, such as air temperature, photoperiod, solar radiation, and water availability, to provide support for the development of new technologies for hop cultivation, including supplemental lighting, irrigation, and mulching.

Performance of Hop Cultivars Grown with Artificial Lighting under Subtropical Conditions

“…Before flowering, a photoperiod of approximately 17 h was used to facilitate adequate plant growth until the top of the trellis was reached. An insufficient photoperiod in the early season results in an insufficient number of nodes being formed, which affects the productive yield of the plants [ 1 , 4 ] because the inflorescences originate from the buds formed in each growth node.…”

“…Hops are short-day plants with a critical photoperiod of 15 h; flowering is stimulated when the day length is <15 h [ 4 ]. Under favorable photoperiod conditions, bines can reach a peak growth rate of up to 25 cm per day [ 5 ]; however, photoperiod conditions are insufficient for vegetative growth in the early season, resulting in an insufficient number of nodes, limiting the ability of the plant to flower, and reducing cone production [ 1 , 4 ].…”

“…The duration of the photoperiod varies depending on latitude; therefore, the ideal latitudinal range to meet the demand for hops is from 35° to 55° N or S of the Equator [ 5 , 6 , 7 ], which coincides with the latitude of the main global hop producers, the United States and Germany, wherein 70% of the global cultivated hop area is located [ 4 ]. However, there have been successful cultivation initiatives in areas with a subtropical climate in the subtropics (latitude 23.5° and 35° N or S), such as West Central Florida (27° N) [ 1 ], using artificial lighting to ensure that hop plants achieve adequate vegetative growth and avoid early flowering [ 8 ].…”

“…Therefore, the development of studies that can help expand the Brazilian production chain has been encouraged, with the aim of adapting cultivation technologies and international cultivars to local conditions [ 12 ]. In particular, artificial lighting with LED lamps has been used to inhibit early flowering of plants in the field [ 4 ].…”

Unveiling the phenology and associated floral regulatory pathways ofHumulus lupulusL. in subtropical conditions

“…The α and β acids present in the resins provide bitterness and aroma to the beer. Despite its economic importance, hops have been mostly cultivated in temperate zones between latitudes 35° and 55° N or S of the Equator (Jastrombek et al, 2022) and few works have explored its phenological cycle in association with the regulatory networks governing flowering in tropical and subtropical regions.…”