Growing hops from seed

[B-Hoppy]

These are a couple seedlings that came up in the garlic last year and were moved to a better place today. Looks like the one on the left didn't make it through the winter, frostbite? They should be a little more happy this year!

As for the trifoliate thing, I've seen that from time to time over the years, but each time they ended up growing out of it. It's bound to happen sooner or later so Hop On!!

 

[brewerelated]

These are a couple seedlings that came up in the garlic last year and were moved to a better place today. Looks like the one on the left didn't make it through the winter, frostbite? They should be a little more happy this year!

Do you know what the lineage of these hops are? Would you be willing to sell rhizomes?

 

[DarkCoder]

As for the trifoliate thing, I've seen that from time to time over the years, but each time they ended up growing out of it. It's bound to happen sooner or later so Hop On!!

I don't expect that they will stay trifoliate, but still have a little bit of hope. We will see in 1 to 2 weeks.

 

[B-Hoppy]

Do you know what the lineage of these hops are? Would you be willing to sell rhizomes?

Nope! They just come up sometimes after I spread my compost. We'll see what transpires over the season.

I don't expect that they will stay trifoliate, but still have a little bit of hope. We will see in 1 to 2 weeks.

I saw a double headed growing tip at a grower near PGH last year. Never found out what came of that. If you work with something long enough you're bound to see a freak from time to time. Sometimes it's a good thing and other times . . .

 

[DarkCoder]

If you work with something long enough you're bound to see a freak from time to time.

I have been working as a computer programmer for 15 years, which is long enough....believe me, I have seen a lot of freaks !!

 

[DarkCoder]

Nagmay, any update on your seedling ? Were you able to move them outside now ? What about your "special cases" (the runt and the yellowish leaves) ?

 

[nagmay]

DC,
I did get them in the ground last weekend.

Some were nearly 5' tall. Most had already filled their 1 gallon containers with roots. Moving them at this size caused some damage, but most seem to be in good shape.

We planted them in a single east-west row to maximize sunlight. Each is about 2' from it's neighbor, but the plan it to cull at least 50% by the end of the year.

The runt with the yellow leaves is still growing (and still putting off yellow leaves). I'm not counting out anything yet.

I also left a little space in the row for some of the open pollinated seeds.

 

[alane1]

Are those all Neo Mexicana crosses?

 

[nagmay]

"Are those all Neo Mexicana crosses?"

Nope. These are mostly from feminized pollen crossed with Cascade, Chinook and Sterling: http://gabriel.nagmay.com/2014/02/hop-breeding/

I did plant the 3 neomexicanus that I sprouted last year at the end of the row: http://gabriel.nagmay.com/2013/03/hops-from-seed/

 

[DarkCoder]

I don't expect that they will stay trifoliate, but still have a little bit of hope. We will see in 1 to 2 weeks.

All my "trifoliate" are back to the regular bifoliate.

 

[B-Hoppy]

Ding! First one of the season.

 

[DarkCoder]

Ding! First one of the season.

From your compost pile ?

What do you do with all of those plants coming up ? Any interesting plants that you have kept longer than one season ?

 

[B-Hoppy]

Compost over the garlic patch. They get moved to a place to languish in the Summer sun for observation and the decision is made at the end of the season. The one that came up back in the mid-90's is up at GLH now. I guess she was seeded last year but won't know anything for a while.

 

[DarkCoder]

Compost over the garlic patch. They get moved to a place to languish in the Summer sun for observation and the decision is made at the end of the season. The one that came up back in the mid-90's is up at GLH now. I guess she was seeded last year but won't know anything for a while.

I saw your post about that plant...peach like aroma.

 

[nagmay]

Back in February, after the initial sprouts, I set the tray outside and forgot about it. Picture my surprise when I looked at it this afternoon and found this...

 

[B-Hoppy]

Sometimes forgetting about stuff is the best course of action. Hoppy Trails~

 

[DarkCoder]

I finally got the seeds from the USDA Oregon. They are coming from wild hop... these seeds are very old and many of them were squashed. I don't have a lot of hope to germinate them, but I will give it a try.

 

[PapaBearJay]

I finally got the seeds from the USDA Oregon. They are coming from wild hop... these seeds are very old and many of them were squashed. I don't have a lot of hope to germinate them, but I will give it a try.

Well done! Which accession did you get?


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[DarkCoder]

Well done! Which accession did you get?

PI635322 - Humulus lupulus var. lupuloides (Manitoba, Canada)
PI635491 - Humulus lupulus var. neomexicanus (Colorado)
PI635261 - H. Lupulus var. lupulus (Kazakhstan)

 

[PapaBearJay]

PI635322 - Humulus lupulus var. lupuloides (Manitoba, Canada)
PI635491 - Humulus lupulus var. neomexicanus (Colorado)
PI635261 - H. Lupulus var. lupulus (Kazakhstan)

If and when you have germination, feel like sharing some cuttings of each?

Best of luck!

 

[DarkCoder]

If and when you have germination, feel like sharing some cuttings of each?

Best of luck!

Of course !! I will not be selfish.

 

[PapaBearJay]

Of course !! I will not be selfish.

I have some seed from that same Colorado seed lot. I'm not sure how often they perform seed increases, but it'll be coming from the same founder population, so there will be some genetic overlap.

 

[DarkCoder]

I have some seed from that same Colorado seed lot. I'm not sure how often they perform seed increases, but it'll be coming from the same founder population, so there will be some genetic overlap.

Are you sure that they do seed increase ? I thought that these were collected like somewhere around 2002 and that was it.

 

[PapaBearJay]

Are you sure that they do seed increase ? I thought that these were collected like somewhere around 2002 and that was it.

Not likely. Seed is only viable for particular lengths of time. Do they attempt to store it for as long as possible? Sure. Does the seed last forever? No.

They've likely collected and rooted material and germinated a representative sample size for allelic frequency. They would then every so often, as different seed lots deplete, pull out XX plants and allow for open-pollination of the material (from the same population or collection site) to renew seed stocks.

This is not always the case, but not all accessions are backed up with rooted plantlets or seed, and trips can become expensive quite rapidly. For conservation purposes, it may be easiest to have ex situ increases.

You could always ask the director what their procedures are in such instances and report back to us as well.

 

[nagmay]

Not likely.

Perhaps not likely, but it's true. Here is the expedition report from 2002: http://www.ars-grin.gov/cor/reprints/hopexpedition2002.pdf

They collected 625,000 seeds and 16 clones. The seed I received last year (PI 635476) was marked as the original, collected in 2002. Germination rates were abysmal.

 

[DarkCoder]

Perhaps not likely, but it's true. Here is the expedition report from 2002: http://www.ars-grin.gov/cor/reprints/hopexpedition2002.pdf

They collected 625,000 seeds and 16 clones. The seed I received last year (PI 635476) was marked as the original, collected in 2002. Germination rates were abysmal.

Seems like they haven't had any beer during their expedition, what a shame !

 

[PapaBearJay]

Perhaps not likely, but it's true. Here is the expedition report from 2002: http://www.ars-grin.gov/cor/reprints/hopexpedition2002.pdf

They collected 625,000 seeds and 16 clones. The seed I received last year (PI 635476) was marked as the original, collected in 2002. Germination rates were abysmal.

I didn't mean that the trip never happened. I'm very familiar with the expedition itself. I'm merely referring to the viability and fact that not all the seed present in their current collection is from the original site.

No matter how well you attempt to store seed, viability drops over time. It's a fact, there's no way to guarantee that the seed will stay viable. That said, every so often, in order to make sure that enough seed is stored, they perform seed increases.

This is done for a number of reasons, the primary being conservation of genetic resources. Even in vitro (cell culture) of plant material in a cryo-preserved state only lasts on the order of 10-15 months, which means it needs to be regenerated quite frequently, as the process itself is quite time-consuming.

That said, I don't know how often they perform seed increases in hops, but in many annual species that have thousands of accessions in GRIN, it's on a yearly basis. A driving factor behind seed increases is the amount of work being done on the crop in question. There are several papers written about the genetic diversity of hops, all of which produce prodigious amounts of seed, that gets recycled back into the system.

It's how the system works, why not find a way to write about something of particular interest and yet still accomplish exactly what you wanted.

 

[nagmay]

It's how the system works, why not find a way to write about something of particular interest and yet still accomplish exactly what you wanted.

OK, you have totally lost me...

But, back to the original question. I fully understand how seed stocks are typically maintained. In this case though, you seem to be insisting that the seed I received - which was clearly marked by the USDA as the original collected in 2002 - was instead, from a seed increase. What makes you so sure?

^ honestly, I am curious. Do you have evidence that hop seed is not viable after 10 years?

 

[PapaBearJay]

What about the seed was so clearly marked as original about it? I'd be interested in knowing, as I still have all the materials they sent me.

That said, no I don't have positive evidence and I'd find it a much better use of my time germinating the seed every so often anyways. As well, there are many species that are recalcitrant to any storage, and at most last days or weeks. I don't presume that hops have that issue by any means, but perennial seed stocks must still be refreshed.

You also seem insistent on the fact that you received part of the original collection, what makes you so sure?

A great number of these breeding programs are public programs, two which are right in the heart of production in the US. On average it's likely that 25-35,000 seeds are produced each year, actually it's likely to be quite higher than that even, in each individual program. Have some undergraduates work on seed separation, others work on sowing, etc. Some of those seed are distributed amongst interested parties, one being the USDA. Look at the work John Henning has been doing over a number of studies determining heritability and diversity present in U.S. germplasm resources.

Seed increases can occur in a number of different manners, as it's likely that many large programs have members from the seed lots, or have looked at them before.

 

[DarkCoder]

How things are gowing guys ?!?

On my side, I have 1 awesome plant that is growing like crazy, just like if it was started out of a rhizome (1st year grow from a rhizome). I have other interesting plants that have potential, but not growing that much... but we will see next year how they goes. No sexing yet, too early in the season here.

 

[B-Hoppy]

Sometimes it's slow, just like with rhizomes. It's amazing what type of growth can occur after July. Hang in there and take good notes!

 

[nagmay]

How things are gowing guys ?!?

Went by the field last week to shore up the poles a bit and check for bug problems.

Most of the first-years are doing great - many are 10' tall, or more. I looked for flowers and found early burrs on about 1/3 of the plants. So far, at least, there are no male flowers. This is good sign that the crosses were from feminized pollen after all. I'll go back in a few few weeks to confirm. I will also remember to bring a camera next time.

 

[DarkCoder]

I have 3 germinated seeds from the USDA Oregon seeds that I received. They are Neomexicanus from West Plum Creek, Colorado (accession PI635491). I don't expect to have other germinated seeds for the other 2 accessions that I have, seeds don't look "healthy". Also, I have ordered and received 3 wild hop plants from Manitoba, Canada. I took them at Prairie Originals. I don't think that they can ship plants to the US, but the lady told me that she would be able to sell me some seeds in the Fall. Check out if you can buy some seeds from her.

 

[nagmay]

Check out the difference in leaf shapes from the wild seed that I sprouted last year.

Left is the neomexicanus seed from Colorado. On the right is seed found in Wyoming. I am now starting to think that the Wyoming was feral/naturalized from a commercial variety.

 

[nagmay]

Here is a quick shot of some of the plants the yard. All of these were sprouted from seed this year.

 

[B-Hoppy]

Very nice! I guess there's a reason they grow lots of hops in Oregon. Mine are only about 4-5 feet at this point but they germinated naturally in the garlic patch in May. Same as last year and all but one showed their gender. Hoppy Trails~

 

[DarkCoder]

Wow !! Very nice and good work !

 

[B-Hoppy]

Baby Bumps!!!! Finally found some un-seeded cones to show the comparison. These are Cascades that show how the bracteole swells up once a seed starts forming. The Brewers Gold is pretty much ALL seeded but because of the cone structure of that variety, it's very hard to show the difference in a picture. I hope these help when you're out looking for the gold!

ps: the cones on the left in the tip picture are unseeded, forgot~

 

[PapaBearJay]

Baby Bumps!!!! Finally found some un-seeded cones to show the comparison. These are Cascades that show how the bracteole swells up once a seed starts forming. The Brewers Gold is pretty much ALL seeded but because of the cone structure of that variety, it's very hard to show the difference in a picture. I hope these help when you're out looking for the gold!

ps: the cones on the left in the tip picture are unseeded, forgot~

B-Hoppy, are you up for sharing seeds at all?


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[B-Hoppy]

I'd have no problems sharing if I had the time but I basically just let Ma Nature take over and corral the little ones when they pop up in the Spring. I thought I'd be coasting toward retirement at this point but it seems to be going the other way?