Hop Breeding

The Art & Science of Hop Breeding

U.S. growers and merchants invest heavily in a number of proprietary breeding programs as well as providing support to public hop breeding efforts carried out by USDA-ARS.

Using conventional breeding techniques and seed collection, these programs produce tens of thousands of seedlings annually, launching a continual flow of new experimental material into the evaluation process. Rigid selection standards ensure only the best varieties are carried forward to the next level of testing. 

Hop breeds are evaluated for the following characteristics:

  • Disease Susceptibility
  • Agronomic Characteristics
  • Yield
  • Harvesting & Drying Factors
  • Brewing Quality
Person working in lab

Skilled plant breeders combine hops with strong genetic profiles, hoping some of the seedlings will exhibit desirable traits from each parent. One cross may yield hundreds of seeds, each containing a slightly different genetic combination. Only a small percentage may exhibit the desired traits and potential for commercial production.

Developing a New Hop Variety

Year 0: Create crosses and collect seeds. Plant seeds in a greenhouse and evaluate for agronomics and disease resistance. Year 5: Establish multi-hill plots and continue evaluations. Expand testing to additional growing areas. Year 8: Expand to commercial scale test plots for agronomics, yield, harvest testing, and brewing evaluation. Year ?: Decision to commercialize and release variety to industry.
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This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service under Federal award No. MAP-2024-HGA.

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