Evaluation of Hop Cultivars for Commercial Production in Ontario: Yield, Quality, and Pest Susceptibility

Hops, the female inflorescence of the hop plant (Humulus lupulus L.), are used in the brewing process and provide unique flavour and aroma to beer. Hops were grown in Ontario until the 1930’s when acreage decreased due to disease outbreaks and market pressures. Recently there has been a renewed interest in hop production predominantly for craft and micro-breweries. Hop production is a small but growing industry in Ontario and growers require information to identify well adapted cultivars. A cultivar trial was planted at the Simcoe Research Station in 2013 to address this priority. This poster presents data from 2014. Ten commercial cultivars were included in the trial: Cascade, Hallertauer, Sterling, Northern Brewer, Zeus, Crystal, Chinook, Galena, Centennial and a naturalized cultivar named Bertwell. Potato leafhoppers, Japanese beetles and two-spotted spider mites were the most common insect pests observed. Differences in incidence and severity of insect damage were observed amongst the cultivars. Japanese beetle feeding damage was least severe on Chinook while Bertwell and Galena were least affected by potato leafhoppers. Two-spotted spider mite counts were low throughout the season and did not differ amongst cultivars. Downy mildew was observed in late May to early June, but disease was sporadic and no differences were observed amongst the cultivars. Cascade, Zeus, Galena and Chinook produced the highest yields, however, cone quality was poor due to widespread Alternaria cone disorder. Severity of Alternaria was lowest on Cascade and Bertwell.