Mechanical Hop-Picking Solutions in Italian Cultivated Areas

Abstract

Hops for beer production are a crop of growing interest in Italy, requiring specialized harvesting equipment and infrastructure. Several studies have been conducted on hop cultivation and harvesting around the world, but information on Italian hop production is still very scarce. As it turns out, only a few Italian farms are self-sufficient, employing a mechanical harvesting system, while most of them resort to hand-picking. In this study, hand and mechanical hop-picking were investigated, highlighting the longest time necessary for the manual cut (65 ± 5 min for approximately 2 kg of fresh cones). Furthermore, different mechanical solutions for hop harvesting were evaluated; in particular, one hop-picking machine was tested at different settings (full speed and 75% of chain feed). At full speed, it was possible to collect an average of around 96 kg h−1 of fresh cones, while approximately 13% of cones were left unpicked. A speed reduction of approximately 25% made it possible to reduce the cone loss to 8%, with a cone collection of around 86 kg h−1. Lost and picked cones, however, were strongly related to the number of side-arms growing from the main bines. This experience made it possible to test an old solution for this emerging crop at moderate cost and with good sustainability for the Italian territory.

The Memory of Hops: Rural Bioculture as a Collective Means of Reimagining the Future

“…The introduction of new technologies has been important to improve efficiency in hop cultivation. Some studies, including those carried out in other countries such as Italy, indicate that the use of new forms of mechanisation allows for a significant reduction in harvest time without damaging the cones [82]. In spite of this, there has been some resistance amongst small producers in León when it comes to making investments in technology, since some see these as an expense instead of an investment for the future: "It is very expensive, for such a small production it is not worth such an expense".…”

Tasting the Italian Terroir through Craft Beer: Quality and Sensory Assessment of Cascade Hops Grown in Central Italy and Derived Monovarietal Beers

“…The movement of Italian craft beer was born in 1996, drawing from the concepts of territoriality, nature and authenticity in its marketing, but, currently, most of the raw materials used in the production of these beers are imported [3]. However, in the last few years, trying to follow the path already well traced by the national wine sector from which the concepts of terroir and branding of the agri-product as an added value were generated, small agricultural realities have started to flourish, capable of producing malted barley and especially hops, destined to the production of 100% local beers [4]. Several studies have been published about the influence of terroir on hops [5][6][7].…”

“…Compounds identified by GC-MS in CAS_T and CAS_L hop oils. Kováts Index, calculated using a n-alkanes linear series; 2 Molecular Weight; 3 relative quantitation, assuming as 100 the most abundant fragment;4 area units (area/10 6 ).2.6.3. Sensory AnalysisBeers were evaluated by a trained panel (16 assessors: 8 females and 8 males, age 25-60) of the CREA Research Centre for Viticulture and Enology (Asti).…”