We use cookies on our website. Some are necessary for the operation of the website. You can also allow cookies for statistical purposes. You can adjust the data protection settings or agree to all cookies directly.
Collaborative project: Genome-based precision breeding for advanced quality hops. Subproject 2 (GHop)
Project
Project code: 28RZ4IP025, 837 150, 5985
Contract period: 01.08.2017
- 31.07.2020
Budget: 42,094 Euro
Purpose of research: Experimental development
Keywords: plant breeding, secondary crop ingredients, product quality, crop production, hop, food quality, seed and planting material
The global hop market is constantly changing. The challenge for hop breeders is not only to react on climate change and on new pests, but also on new market trends. The German hop breeders release regularly innovative and market-oriented hop cultivars. However, due to limitation of financial resources, new genome-analytical methods cannot be implemented in practical breeding. However, the implementation of these methods is highly desirable to be able to breed new hop cultivars for the hop and brewing industries faster and more cost-efficiently. Considering the competition with the USA and (currently) as main provider of alpha-acids on the global market, the development of robust and highly productive alpha-acid-rich hops is of outstanding importance for the Germany hop business. Therefore, the plan of this collaborative project is based on previous research to develop several molecular markers, which can be directly used for the development of new hop cultivars. Thus, one goal of this project is to implement genome-analytical methods into practical breeding. Two complementary approaches will be applied to ensure that robust marker-trait-associations for hop alpha-acids will be identified within three years. The strategies are association mapping and marker development based on the analysis of regulatory sequences. The quality markers will be used in breeding of desirable alpha-acid-rich cultivars by the end of the project. Therefore, it is planned to conduct comprehensive phenotyping of representative hop cultivars and lines over two years to gain data for the association mapping. The resulting breeding value model is than usable for the early selection of young plants and male hops, which will save time, labor, space and therewith financial resources. A further project goal is to start implementing genome-analytical methods for cultivar development in order get more practical experience and new precisely bred cultivars for the future.
Section overview
Subjects
- Crop Production
- Plant Breeding
- Food Processing