Abstract
For hop growers, surplus shoots are generally a useless by-product of cultivation. Conversely, they may represent a valuable resource due to rising interest towards healthy and traditional foods. A field trial was carried out in Central Italy to characterize shoot production (number of emerged shoots, shoot fresh weight, marketable shoot yield, and shoot diameter) of three commercial hop cultivars (Cascade, Challenger, and Hallertauer Magnum) and to survey shoot proximate composition (ash, ether extract, crude protein, and crude fiber). Green shoots were harvested when they were from 20 to 40 cm in length. The results from two years showed that there was significant difference among the varieties and between growing seasons, both for yield traits and for nutritional composition. H. Magnum showed the highest marketable shoot yield (152 g per plant, two-year mean), while Cascade had the best proximate composition. The number of emerged shoots per plant varied from 62.5 of Cascade to 84.3 of H. Magnum over a two-year average. Marketable shoot yield showed a positive relationship with number of shoots and average shoot fresh weight, while no significant correlation was found with shoot diameter. Hop shoots proved to be a low-fat food (ether extract from 2 to 6% dry matter (DM)) with high protein (from 22 to 30% DM) and fiber content (from 10 to 16% DM).
Highlights
Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) is a dioecious perennial climbing plant, and it is known mainly for its use in the brewing industry.Even though hop can grow between 35 and 50◦ latitude in both hemispheres, commercial production is traditionally limited to moist and temperate regions like central Europe and the PacificNorthwestern United States [1,2,3]
The aim of the present study was to accurately characterize the shoot yield gathered from cultivation of three commercial hop varieties in two subsequent years, under Mediterranean climatic conditions
The number of emerged shoots was not affected by cultivar × year interaction, whereas ANOVA
Summary
Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) is a dioecious perennial climbing plant, and it is known mainly for its use in the brewing industry.Even though hop can grow between 35 and 50◦ latitude in both hemispheres, commercial production is traditionally limited to moist and temperate regions like central Europe and the PacificNorthwestern United States [1,2,3]. Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) is a dioecious perennial climbing plant, and it is known mainly for its use in the brewing industry. In 2018, the world’s top hop-producing countries were USA, Germany, and China; the USA and all European countries together shared about 88% of world production [4]. While hop today is mainly grown for its female inflorescence (commonly known as cone but formally defined as strobilus), it has a long history of being used for various medicinal, household, and culinary purposes [5,6]. Young hop shoots are eaten in spring, which is one of the oldest and traditional uses of the plant [7].
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