The Hop Plant Company’s Mission for Climate-Resilient UK Hops

The beer industry’s rapid growth, fuelled by demand for distinctive, high-impact aroma hops, has made the development of resilient, high-quality hop varieties a top priority. To thrive, new hop cultivars must offer exceptional brewing qualities while withstanding biotic and abiotic stresses, including extreme temperatures and limited water availability. Achieving stable yields over multiple seasons requires integrating these critical traits into superior hop varieties—a challenge for breeders worldwide.

The Challenge of Traditional Breeding

Traditional hop breeding is a time and labour intensive process, relying on observations of traits like yield, disease resistance, and aroma. For instance, testing for Verticillium wilt resistance necessitates infecting mature plants, while evaluating environmental stability, requires repeated trials across different locations and years. However, because traits result from both genetic and environmental factors, traditional breeding methods are limited to observable variations.

The Role of Genomic Tools

Genomic tools are transforming the breeding process by enabling faster, more precise selection. By identifying DNA markers linked to key traits, breeders can make informed choices based on genetic potential rather than just physical characteristics. This accelerates the development of resilient hop varieties, reducing the time and resources needed for screening.

The Hop Plant Company’s Role in Innovation

The Hop Plant Company is proud to partner in this pioneering initiative, supporting the development of climate-resilient hop varieties. By leveraging our expertise in hop cultivation and propagation, we are helping to ensure that these advanced breeding techniques lead to real-world agricultural success. Our collaboration with breeders and researchers strengthens the connection between science and farming, making these next-generation hops more accessible to UK growers. The Hop Plant Company will be propagating over 400 genotypes of hop and undertaking drought resilience screening to provide meaningful data to analyse drought resilience traits in the genetics of hop plants  

By working together, The Hop Plant Company and its partners Wye Hops Ltd, The British Hop Association, Kent University, LGC Genomics Ltd are paving the way for a more sustainable and resilient future for UK hop production.

The research project ‘Genetic Informed Breeding of Environmentally Resilient UK Hop Varieties’ is a five-year project, funded by Innovate UK.

James Wright