Resilience of hop (Humulus lupulus L.) to salinity, heat and drought stresses: A mini-review

Abstract

Over recent years, the cultivation of hops (Humulus lupulus L.) has spread widely in the Mediterranean, also affecting the southern regions of Spain and Italy with a typical semi-arid climate. Several and recent studies have investigated the responses of this species to the main abiotic stresses, which is an aspect of absolute relevance to the knowledge of the adaptive capacity of hops to the growing conditions of a new cultivation environment. Moreover, given the fact that hops’ phytochemical composition is determined primarily by genetic and environmental factors, and that the species is perennial, the lack of knowledge on the effects of abiotic stress could be reflected in subsequent years, which means multi-year economic risks. This review work therefore aims to showcase, based on an in-depth investigation of the available literature, the response of hop to the main abiotic stresses, and the effect of these on productive and qualitative crop performances. The data presented will be useful to the understanding of constraints and to the identification of useful coping strategies to the cultivation of hops in semi-arid Mediterranean environments.

Adapting American Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) Varieties to Mediterranean Sustainable Agriculture: A Trellis Height Exploration

“…For the experiment, two American hop varieties that had already proven good adaptability to Mediterranean environments with semi-arid climates [9,12], i.e., Cascade and Chinook, were selected. The variety Cascade, developed in the USDA breeding program at Oregon State University and released in 1972, is characterized by a dark green elongated cone with a medium-strength aroma, often described as a distinctive floral, grapefruit-like character [24].…”

“…For several years in Italy, the entire craft beer industry has been growing, which has led to the enhancement of local raw ingredient production, including hops [3,4]. This movement has triggered intensive research focusing on the adaptability of hops species to different cultivation environments in the peninsula [5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. Indeed, several studies conducted in Mediterranean climate environments have highlighted the excellent adaptability of various American varieties, both in terms of production [12][13][14] and quality (i.e., content in alpha acids and aromatic oils) [15][16][17].…”