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Biomass and essential oil production of hops cv Chinook in response to nitrogen fertilization1 1 This paper is part of the first author’s doctoral thesis, partially funded by CAPES.

ABSTRACT

Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) is one of the most important raw materials of beer production. Despite being the third-largest producer and consumer of beer worldwide, Brazil imports almost all hops for production. Nitrogen is an essential macronutrient for hop development and its behavior under different doses is still unknown for Brazilian conditions. Our goal was to evaluate the dry matter and essential oil yields of the Chinook hop fertilized with five N rates during three harvests. Leaves, branches, and cones were sampled to determine their dry matter production, and cones were also analyzed for essential oil contents, extracted by hydrodistillation. Cone number per plant, cone, branch, and leaf dry matter yields, as well as total essential oil yield per plant, increased linearly as nitrogen rates were raised. The production of DM of cones obtained ranged between 245.8 (N:0) and 386.7 kg ha-1 (N:250 kg N ha-1). Yield differences were also noted between harvest years due to weather conditions. Therefore, we can conclude that increasing N rates and climatic conditions affect N contents in hop leaves, as well as hops overall and oil yields, due to the higher cone dry matter. However, essential oil contents in cone dry matter did not change.

Keywords
Humulus lupulus L; hydrodistillation; plant nutrition

INTRODUCTION

Hop (Humulus lupulus L.), a dioecious species of the family Cannabaceae, is one of the raw materials used in the production processes of beers, cosmetics, and medicines (Biendl et al., 2014Biendl M, Forster A, Schönberger C, Engelhard B, Gahr A, Lutz A, Mitter W & Schmidt R (2014) Hops: Their Cultivation, Composition and Usage. Nuremberger, Fachverlag Hans Carl. 571p.; Solarska & Sosnowska, 2015Solarska E & Sosnowska B (2015) The impact of plant protection and fertilization on content of bioactive substances in organic hops. Acta Scientiarum Polonorum-Hortorum Cultus, 14:93-101.). Although Brazil is the third-largest producer and consumer of beer in the world, the main global hop producers are the United States, Germany, the Czech Republic, and China (Cervieri Júnior et al., 2014Cervieri Júnior O, Teixeira Júnior JR, Galinari R, Rawet ED & Silveira CTJ (2014) O setor de bebidas no Brasil. BNDES Biblioteca Digital, 40:93-130.; IHGC, 2019IHGC - International hop growers convention (2019) Economic commission summary reports (ECSR). Available at: <http://www.hmeljiz.si/ihgc/doc/2019%20APR%20IHGC%20EC%20Report_final.pdf>. Accessed on: September 15th, 2019.
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). Brazil imports about 4,000 tons of hops per year, at a cost of over 200 million reais (Soares & Firmo, 2018Soares LB & Firmo HTO (2018) Cultivo do lúpulo em terras brasileiras: como este ingrediente pode fomentar a pesquisa acadêmica e as economias locais. In: XV Encontro de Engenharia e Desenvolvimento Social, Alagoinhas. Proceedings, ENEDS. p.01-16.). Currently, the Brazilian beer industry is expanding, mainly with the emergence of craft breweries, with 257 in 2014 and 1,383 in 2020 (Mapa, 2020Mapa - Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento (2020) Anuário da Cerveja - 2020. Available at: https://www.gov.br/agricultura/pt-br/assuntos/noticias/com-crescimento-de-14-4-em-2020-numero-de-cervejarias-registradas-no-brasil-passa-de-1-3-mil/anuariocerveja2.pdf. Accessed on: September 15th, 2021.
https://www.gov.br/agricultura/pt-br/ass...
).

The medicinal properties of hops may include sleep and estrogenic activity inductions (Chadwick et al., 2006Chadwick LR, Pauli GF & Farnsworth NR (2006) The pharmacognosy of Humulus lupulus L. (hops) with an emphasis on estrogenic properties. Phytomedicine, 13:119-131.), dyspepsia and lack of appetite treatments (Biendl et al., 2014Biendl M, Forster A, Schönberger C, Engelhard B, Gahr A, Lutz A, Mitter W & Schmidt R (2014) Hops: Their Cultivation, Composition and Usage. Nuremberger, Fachverlag Hans Carl. 571p.), as well as anti-inflammatory potential (Bocquet et al., 2018aBocquet L, Sahpaz S & Rivière C (2018a) An overview of the antimicrobial properties of hop. In: Mérillon JM & Riviére C (Eds.) Natural antimicrobial agents, series sustainable development and biodiversity. New York, Springer. p.31-54.) and cancer (Önder et al., 2016Önder FC, Ay M, Türkoğlu SA, Köçkar FT & Çelik A (2016) Antiproliferative activity of Humulus lupulus extracts on human hepatoma (Hep3B), colon (HT-29) cancer cells and proteases, tyrosinase, β-lactamase enzyme inhibition studies. Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry, 31:90-98.; Ho et al., 2020Ho KH, Kuo TC, Lee YT, Chen PH, Shih CM, Cheng CH, Liu AJ, Lee CC & Chen KC (2020) Xanthohumol regulates miR-4749-5p-inhibited RFC2 signaling in enhancing temozolomide cytotoxicity to glioblastoma. Life Sciences, 254:117807.), tuberculosis and diabetes treatments (Bocquet et al., 2018bBocquet L, Sahpaz S, Hilbert JL, Rambaud C & Rivière C (2018b) Humulus lupulus L., a very popular beer ingredient and medicinal plant: overview of its phytochemistry, its bioactivity, and its biotechnology. Phytochemistry Reviews, 17:1047-1090.). Active compounds important to the brewing and medicinal industries include resins, α-and β-acids, tannins, flavonoids, polyphenols, and essential oils (Biendl et al., 2014Biendl M, Forster A, Schönberger C, Engelhard B, Gahr A, Lutz A, Mitter W & Schmidt R (2014) Hops: Their Cultivation, Composition and Usage. Nuremberger, Fachverlag Hans Carl. 571p.; Nowak et al., 2020Nowak B, Poźniak B, Popłoński J, Bobak Ł, Matuszewska A, Kwiatkowska J, Dziewiszek W, Huszcza E & Szeląg A (2020) Pharmacokinetics of xanthohumol in rats of both sexes after oral and intravenous administration of pure xanthohumol and prenylflavonoid extract. Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine, 29:1101-1109.). Such compounds are contained in lupulin glands of small spikes, called cones, which are female inflorescences (Biendl et al., 2014Biendl M, Forster A, Schönberger C, Engelhard B, Gahr A, Lutz A, Mitter W & Schmidt R (2014) Hops: Their Cultivation, Composition and Usage. Nuremberger, Fachverlag Hans Carl. 571p.). These glands store resins and essential oils (Farag & Wessjohann, 2013Farag MA & Wessjohann LA (2013) Cytotoxic effect of commercial Humulus lupulus L. (hop) preparations: In comparison to its metabolomic fingerprint. Journal of Advanced Research, 4:417-421.). Essential oils are compounds responsible for aroma and their contents may range from 0.2 to 3.0% in cone dry matter. Essential oil yield may vary with environmental conditions, growing area, cultivar used, as well as post-harvest-related factors (Biendl et al., 2014Biendl M, Forster A, Schönberger C, Engelhard B, Gahr A, Lutz A, Mitter W & Schmidt R (2014) Hops: Their Cultivation, Composition and Usage. Nuremberger, Fachverlag Hans Carl. 571p.).

For a good cone dry matter production with satisfactory resin and oil levels, mineral nutrients must be properly supplied. Nitrogen (N) is one of the important macronutrients for vigorous vegetative growth of crops, besides being essential during vertical and lateral plant growths, which occurs in spring (Neve, 1991Neve RA (1991) Hops. London, Springer. 266p.; Dodds, 2017Dodds K (2017) Hops a guide for new growers. Available at: <https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/horticulture/other/hops-a-guide-for-new-growers>. Accessed on: September 20th, 2019.
https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/h...
). Nitrogen recommendation for hops varies in different countries (Bavec et al., 2003Bavec F, Breznik BC & Breznik M (2003) Hop yield evaluation depending on experimental plot area under different nitrogen management. Plant Soil Environment, 49:163-167.). However, Brazilian fertilization manuals still do not have information on N fertilization for hops. There are also few works in the literature relating cone and essential oil yields according to N rates in hops grown under Brazilian soil and climatic conditions.

Given the above, this study aimed to evaluate the hop biomass and essential oil yields under different nitrogen fertilization rates and edaphoclimatic conditions of Guarapuava, PR (Brazil).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The experiment was installed at the Agricultural Research Foundation of the Cooperativa Agrária de Entre Rios, located in Guarapuava, PR, central-southern micro-region of Paraná State, in southern Brazil (25° 33’ S; 51° 29’ W, and 1,095-m altitude). According to the Köppen-Geiger classification, the local climate is classified as Cfb type, with cool summers and no defined dry season (Alvares et al., 2013Alvares CA, Stape JL, Sentelhas PC, Gonçalves LM & Spavorek G (2013) Köppen’s climate classification map for Brazil. Meteorologische Zeitschrift, 22:711-728.). The climatic data (Figure 1) during the experiment were gathered from a gauge station installed in the experimental area. The sequential water balance was calculated according to Thornthwaite & Mather (1955)Thornthwaite CW & Mather JR (1955) The water balance. New Jersey, Publications in Climatology. 104p..

Figure 1
Monthly averages of temperature (T °C), relative humidity (RH%), solar radiation (SR w m-2), and total rainfall (mm) from August to March of the 2018/2019, 2019 /2020, and 2020/2021 crop years from the FAPA gauge station, in Guarapuava-PR; 3YM - three-year mean; Source: FAPA Gauge Station, adapted by the authors (2021).

The soil in the area has a very clayey texture (650 g kg-1 clay, 175 g kg-1 sand, and 175g kg-1 silt in the 0-40 cm depth layer) and is classified as Latossolo bruno alumínico (aluminum-rich dark Oxisol). The chemical analysis results were as follows: pH CaCl2 – 5.50; Al+3 – 0.00; H++Al+3 – 5.50 cmolc dm-3; Ca+2 – 7.60 cmolc dm-3; Mg+2 – 2.80 cmolc dm-3; K+ - 0.52 cmolc dm-3; P – 16.70 mg dm3; C – 51.8 g dm3; and CEC – 16.42 cmolc dm-3.

Field Experiment

The experiments under field conditions were carried out during the 2018/2019, 2019/2020, and 2020/2021 crop seasons, using the cultivar ‘Chinook’ and nitrogen fertilization rates of 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 kg de N ha-1, plus a control (without N). Urea 46% was used as N-source and was applied by casting along 1-m wide planting rows three times: 30 kg N ha-1 at first-leaf formation (BBCH 1) and the remainder of each rate split into 2 equal applications at branching (BBCH 2) and main branch elongation (BBCH 3) stages, according to the phenological classification of Roßbauer et al. (1995)Roßbauer G, Buhr L, Hack H, Hauptmann S, Klose R, Meier U, Stauß R & Weber E (1995) Phänologische Entwicklungsstadien von KulturHopfen (Humulus lupulus L.). Nachrichtenblatt des Deutschen Pflanzenschutzdienstes, 47:249-253..

The experimental design was randomized blocks with four replications of 8 plants spaced 1 m and rows 3 m apart. Each experimental unit had 2 plants used as borders. After sprouting, six main branches were selected and tutored by two sisal ropes fixed on wire at 5 m height.

Dry matter production determination

Cones were harvested after yellowing with petals falling to the touch, and when lupulin were dark yellow (Biendl et al., 2014Biendl M, Forster A, Schönberger C, Engelhard B, Gahr A, Lutz A, Mitter W & Schmidt R (2014) Hops: Their Cultivation, Composition and Usage. Nuremberger, Fachverlag Hans Carl. 571p.). The cones were samples on average 120 days after the beginning of the experiment. Cone yield, branch (main and secondary ones) and leaf dry matter, and essential oil contents were evaluated. Branch and leaf dry matters were obtained after drying in a forced-air circulation oven at 60 °C for 72 hours, until constant weight. Hop cones, in turn, were dried in the same oven, but at 35 °C for 72 hours, until constant weight (Falkenberg et al., 2007Falkenberg MB, Santos RI & Simões CMO (2007) Introdução à análise fitoquímica. In: Simões CMO, Schenkel EP, Gosmann G, Mello JCP, Mentz LA & Petrovick PR (Eds.) Farmacognosia da planta ao medicamento: da planta ao medicamento. Porto Alegre, UFRGS. p.229-246.). Six plants per plot were used to evaluate all variables. Harvest index (CI) was calculated as the ratio between cone dry matter and total shoot dry matter (sum of leaves, branches, and cones).

Essential oil content determination

Each treatment contained 4 repetitions of 50 g dry cones. Essential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation in a graduated Clevenger apparatus for 3 hours, containing 1,000 mL distilled water. The essential oil content was determined on a dry mass basis and expressed as a percentage (% m m-1).

Nitrogen in hop shoot

Nitrogen content was determined by sulfuric digestion, followed by Kjehldahl determination. Dried samples (100 mg) of leaves, branches, and cones were placed into digester tubes with 1 g of a K2S04 and CuSO4 salt mixture at 10: 1 and 3 mL H2SO4 98%. Then, the tubes were slowly heated in a digester block (350 °C) until a blue-green color appears. After cooling, all tubes were filled up with water up to 50 mL. Afterwards, 10 mL NaOH (40%) was added to the digested extract and the tube was coupled to the Kjeldahl distiller. Distilled volumes were transferred to beakers containing 25 mL H3BO3 (2%) plus indicators (0.1% bromocresol green and 0.04% m/v methyl red). Solution coloration was corrected to wine with HCl 1 mol L-1 solution. After completing 45 mL distilled solution, the green-colored product was taken to titration with a 0.01 mol L-1 HCl until a wine color was achieved. The volume to change solution color was used to calculate N amount in the respective sample.

Statistical analysis

Statistical analysis was performed considering an arrangement time-divided plots, with 6 N levels as the main factor and 3 years the sub-factors. After analysis of variance (ANOVA), a regression analysis was performed for N levels and Scott Knott’s test for the year subfactor (p ≤ 0.05). Plant N levels were tested by ANOVA, followed by regression analysis. ANOVA conditions were verified by homoscedasticity (Bartlett, Hartley and Levene) and normality (Jarque-Berra) tests. The data were analyzed using Sisvar (Ferreira, 2019Ferreira DF (2019) Sisvar: a computer analysis system to fixed effects split plot type designs. Revista Brasileira de Biometria, 37:529-535.) and Speed Stat Software (Carvalho et al., 2020Carvalho AMX, Mendes FQ, Mendes FQ & Tavares LT (2020) Speed Stat: a free, intuitive, and minimalist spreadsheet program for statistical analyses of experiments. Crop Breeding and Applied Biotechnology, 20:01-06.).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Temperature averages were higher between December and January in the 2018/2019 crop year (20.4 and 21.4 °C, respectively). Relative air humidity (RH%), in turn, was high in January of all crop years, especially in 2021, when it reached 83%. As for radiation, indices were below average in October 2018, December 2020, and January 2021. Average rainfall was insufficient, resulting in soil water deficit in all crops evaluated (Figure 1). All crop years showed differences for N levels; number of cones per plant; dry matter contents of branches (main and secondary), leaves, cones, and shoot; and total production of essential oil per plant. Although all variables showed differences throughout the years, there was only interaction between crop year and N level for essential oil production per plant (Table 1).

Table 1
Yield indicators and oil composition of H. lupulus L. cv. Chinook in 3 crop years under 5 N rates and control (without N) in Guarapuava-PR (Brazil). Means followed by the same letter horizontally do not differ from each other by the Scott Knott’s test (p ≤ 0.05)

Cone yield was lower in the 2020/2021 crop year (Table 1), both in number and in dry mass per plant, with reductions of 62% and 68%, respectively, compared to the average of previous years.

Radiation availability in December 2020 and January 2021, when secondary branches and inflorescences are formed, was lower than in previous years (Figure 1). As hop is a C3 plant (Ocvirk et al., 2018Ocvirk M, Ogrinc N & Košir IJ (2018) Determination of the geographical and botanical origin of hops (Humulus lupulus L.) using stable isotopes of C, N and S. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 66:2021-2026.) and has a light saturation point between 890 and 990 W m-2 (Kenny, 2005Kenny ST (2005) Photosynthetic Measurements in Hop (Humulus). Acta Horticulturae, 668:241-248.), yield decrease in the 2020/ 2021 crop year was due to lower incident radiation, mainly in December and January, when plants were finishing stage 3 (elongation of main branches) at stage 4 (inflorescence emergence) and starting stage 5 (flowering), according to the scale of Roßbauer et. al (1995)Roßbauer G, Buhr L, Hack H, Hauptmann S, Klose R, Meier U, Stauß R & Weber E (1995) Phänologische Entwicklungsstadien von KulturHopfen (Humulus lupulus L.). Nachrichtenblatt des Deutschen Pflanzenschutzdienstes, 47:249-253..

Average RH was excessive between December 2020 and January 2021 (80.2 and 86%, respectively). Such a high humidity increased formation of Pseudoperonospora humuli L. sporangia (Gent et al., 2010Gent D, Ocamb CM & Farnsworth JL (2010) Forecasting and Management of Hop Downy Mildew. Plant Disease, 94:425-431.). This fungus is the causal agent of downy mildew, which is considered the most aggressive hop diseases (Purayannur et al., 2020Purayannur S, Miles TD, Gent DH, Pig S & Quesada-Ocampo LM (2020) Hop Downy Mildew Caused by Pseudoperonospora humuli: A Diagnostic Guide. Plant Health Progress, 21:173-179.). According to Gent & Ocamb (2009)Gent DH & Ocamb CM (2009) Predicting infection risk of hop by Pseudoperonospora humuli. Phytopathology, 99:1190-1198., the most severe infections occur in hops at high humidity levels in the air and in leaves, which is caused by frequent rains and relatively warm nights. This situation was observed in the experiment, especially in the third year when monthly average temperature was lower than in previous years, especially in November, December, and January (Figure 1). Thus, this resulted in lower photochemical activity and, consequently, lower rubisco carboxylation efficiency, as pointed out by Eriksen et al. (2020)Eriksen RL, Rutto LK, Dombrowski JE & Henning JA (2020) Photosynthetic Activity of Six Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) Cultivars under Different Temperature Treatments. HortScience, 55:403-409..

In the last crop (2020), rainfall was also lower in September and October than in the previous months, period in which the first sprouts appear (stage 0), leaves develop (stage 2), and lateral branches are formed (stage 3), which also contributed to lower yields in the third crop year.

Cone dry matter production in this study, whose maximum photoperiod was 13.8 hours, ranged between 245.8 and 386.7 kg ha-1. These values are lower than those of the largest world producers, which are on average 1,971 kg ha-1 (IHGC, 2019IHGC - International hop growers convention (2019) Economic commission summary reports (ECSR). Available at: <http://www.hmeljiz.si/ihgc/doc/2019%20APR%20IHGC%20EC%20Report_final.pdf>. Accessed on: September 15th, 2019.
http://www.hmeljiz.si/ihgc/doc/2019%20AP...
). Hop cultivation at latitudes between 35° and 50°, mainly in the Northern Hemisphere (Ruggeri et al., 2018Ruggeri R, Loreti P & Rossini F (2018) Exploring the potential of hop as a dual purpose crop in the Mediterranean environment : shoot and cone yield from nine commercial cultivars. European Journal of Agronomy, 93:11-17.) wherein photoperiods are longer than 15 hours, is considered ideal to increase photosynthetic rates, increasing leaf and branch formations, and thus promoting the largest number of inflorescences.

The yield of essential oils, per cone DM and per plant, also varied in relation to the crop seasons. The highest yields were in the first harvest (Table 1), when the highest average temperatures and highest levels of solar radiation were observed in the months of December and January (Figure 1), flowering periods and cone formation. In the first year, lower precipitation and IVR indexes were also observed in this period, especially in relation to year 3, in which the lowest oil yield per plant was observed. Intense precipitation is one of the most relevant factors in relation to the yield of essential oils (Morais, 2009Morais LAS (2009) Influência dos fatores abióticos na composição química dos óleos essenciais. Horticultura Brasileira, 27:4050-4063.), especially in the period of synthesis and storage, as they can cause the loss of water-soluble substances in the cones. Other weather conditions such as temperature also affect essential oil yield (Chrysargyris et al., 2017Chrysargyris A, Nikolaidou E, Stamatakis A & Tzortzakis N (2017) Vegetative, physiological, nutritional and antioxidant behavior of spearmint (Mentha spicata L.) in response to different nitrogen supply in hydroponics. Journal of Applied Research Medicinal Aromatic Plants, 6:52-61.). Thus, the combined action of these meteorological differences may be responsible for the difference in oil yield in the three years of cultivation. Other factors that might have contributed to low crop yields in the three crop years were low index and poor distribution of rainfall, which resulted in 13 ten days of water deficit in the soil, between September and December of the three years (Figure 1). Periods in which the plant is at stages 1 to 4, which include leaf development, side branch formation, main branch elongation, and inflorescence emergence.

Considering the three crop years, the increase in N rates provided a linear and positive effect on most variables (Figure 2). As average cone mass did not increase significantly, the increase in cone dry matter production may have been due to an increasing effect of N on number of cones per plant and not in cone mass and sizes.

Figure 2
Yield components of H. lupulus L. cv. Chinook grown in Guarapuava-PR under different N rates. Joint analysis of the 2018/2019, 2019/2020, and 2020/2021 crop years. *(p ≤ 0.05); NS: Non-significant (P ≤ 0.05).

Nitrogen fertilization increased primary and secondary branch numbers, and hence leaves per plant. As inflorescences are produced on the secondary branches (in pairs along the main branch) from buds at the intersection of leaves (upper third of the plant) with the secondary branches, we may state that the greater the number of leaves, the greater the number of inflorescences. Moreover, N contributed to the greater secondary branch production, probably due to an increase in synthesis of cytokinins, which increase cell division and act in development of lateral and axillary buds when in correct balance with auxins, also dependent on N (Kieber & Schaller, 2014Kieber JJ & Schaller GE (2014) Cytokinins. Arabidopsis Book, 12:01-36.).

The increase in number of cones as a function of increasing N rates also contributed to increases in total production of essential oil per plant. This was because N applications did not increase oil content per cone, which ranged between 0.17 and 0.26% (Figure 2). When comparing with the study by Kenny (1990)Kenny ST (1990) Identification of U.S.-Grown Hop Cultivars by Hop Acid and Essential Oil Analyses. Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists, 48:03-08., the production in our study was low since hop essential oil from the cultivar Chinook can vary between 0.94 and 1.73%. Essential oil production per plant increased linearly with N rates in the 2018/2019 (Y = 238.495 + 1.236X - R2 83.32% – p < 0.01) and 2019/2020 (Y = 94.406 + 0.499X - R2 43.41% – p = 0.03) crop years, but did not change in the 2020/2021 crop year.

Iskra et al. (2019)Iskra AE, Lafontaine SR, Trippe KM, Massie ST, Phillips CL, Twomey MC, Shellhammer TH & Gent DH (2019) Influence of Nitrogen Fertility Practices on Hop Cone Quality. Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists, 77:199-209. concluded that nitrogen fertilization can influence the quality of hop cones, changing color, percentage of acids, and essential oil contents. In our work, there was a linear increase in essential oil yield per plant with increasing N rates up to 250 kg ha-1. However, oil yield increased as a function of increases in cone yield, as N did not increase oil yield per cone. This is because hop essential oils are secondary metabolism products, whose biosynthesis is not induced by different N rates.

Our results demonstrate that the optimal dose for hop cone production (commercial product) is at least 250 kg N ha-1. On the other hand, N application recommendations have varied considerably among the main producing countries. In the UK, they range from 180 to 220 kg ha-1 with soil texture (DEFRA, 2010DEFRA - Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (2010) Fertiliser Manual (RB209). 8º ed. Norwich England, TSO. 257p.), in Australia from 120 to 230 kg ha-1 (Dodds, 2017Dodds K (2017) Hops a guide for new growers. Available at: <https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/horticulture/other/hops-a-guide-for-new-growers>. Accessed on: September 20th, 2019.
https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/h...
) and in the US from 120 to 170 kg. ha-1 in soils with moderate organic matter, reaching 230 kg ha-1, and for soils with low organic matter of 250 kg ha-1 in Slovenia and of 270 kgha-1 in Germany (Bavec et al., 2003Bavec F, Breznik BC & Breznik M (2003) Hop yield evaluation depending on experimental plot area under different nitrogen management. Plant Soil Environment, 49:163-167.).

Although the soil in the experimental area had high clay and organic matter contents, plant demands for N (≥ 250 kg ha-1) were higher than the recommended values in most of the main producing countries in high latitude regions. This situation may have occurred due to the low soil moisture during applications, which occurred in the last week of September, October, and November. Low humidity can increase N losses since ammonia volatilization had been identified in the same soil in previous studies. These losses ranged from 12.5 to 25.4% of the applied N in the form of urea (Fontoura & Bayer, 2010Fontoura SMV & Bayer C (2010) Ammonia volatilization in no-till system in the south-central region of the State of Paraná, Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Ciência do Solo, 34:1677-1684.; Viero et al., 2014Viero F, Bayer C, Fontoura SMV & Moraes RP (2014) Ammonia volatilization from nitrogen fertilizers in no-till wheat and maize in Southern Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Ciência do Solo, 38:1515-1525.). Furthermore, Kolenc et al. (2016)Kolenc Z, Vodnik D, Mandelc S, Javornik B, Kastelec D & Čerenak A (2016) Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) response mechanisms in drought stress: Proteomic analysis with physiology. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, 105:67-78. reported a reduction in the activity of glutamine synthetase and alanine transferase enzymes in hops grown under water deficit, thus decreasing N assimilation.

No N deficiency symptoms were observed in plots without application (control). By contrast, in the treatment with the highest rate (250 kg N ha-1), some plants showed ‘angel wing’ signs, which is related to nitrogen excess (Senske, 2020Senske AM (2020) Optimization of N fertilization for hops (Humulus lupulus) in Iowa soils. Master Dissertation. Iowa State University, Ames. 81p.). However, this symptom was observed in 1 to 2 cones per plant, in less than one plant per plot. Thus, it did not affect the overall yield.

For N contents in plant shoot, a quadratic effect was observed for N rates in leaf samples (Y = -0.00016x2+0.0538x+30.69), leaf and branch samples (Y = -0.00014x2+0.0442x+26.72), and total shoot area (leaves, main branches, secondary branches, and cones (Y = -0.00012x2+0.0381x+26.58), without differences for main branches, secondary branches, total branches, and cones (Table 2).

Table 2
Nitrogen contents in shoots of H. lupulus L. plants under 5 N rates and control (without N) in Guarapuava-PR. Crop year of 2020/2021, *p ≤ 0.05; NS: Not significant P ≤ 0.05

A maximum N accumulation efficiency was observed at the rate of 165.6 for leaves, 160.4 for leaves and branches, and 164.9 kg N ha-1 for total shoot dry mass. The lowest average N contents were observed in the main branches with 12.00 mg g-1, while the highest concentration was in leaves, with 33.69 mg g-1.

Cones had average N contents of 26.32 mg g-1. Therefore, during harvest, N contents are more concentrated in leaves and cones. As day length decreased in the autumn, a gradual leaf senescence begins and part of the N absorbed by plants is displaced to roots to form reserves for plant regrowth in the hot season (Neve, 1991Neve RA (1991) Hops. London, Springer. 266p.).

CONCLUSIONS

Increasing nitrogen rates linearly increase cone number per plant, cone dry matter production, leaf and branch formation, and essential oil yield in H. lupulus L. of the cultivar Chinook in the region of Guarapuava-PR (Brazil).

The climatic conditions (rainfall, relative humidity, radiation, and temperature) of each crop year promote changes in hop yield.

Nitrogen contents in leaves of H. lupulus L. cv. Chinook are affected by N rates applied.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND FULL DISCLOSURE

We thank FAPA (Fundação Agrária de Pesquisa Agropecuária) for the partnership with UFPR to implement and conduct the experiment.

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interests in carrying the research and publishing the manuscript.

  • 1
    This paper is part of the first author’s doctoral thesis, partially funded by CAPES.

REFERENCES

  • Alvares CA, Stape JL, Sentelhas PC, Gonçalves LM & Spavorek G (2013) Köppen’s climate classification map for Brazil. Meteorologische Zeitschrift, 22:711-728.
  • Bavec F, Breznik BC & Breznik M (2003) Hop yield evaluation depending on experimental plot area under different nitrogen management. Plant Soil Environment, 49:163-167.
  • Biendl M, Forster A, Schönberger C, Engelhard B, Gahr A, Lutz A, Mitter W & Schmidt R (2014) Hops: Their Cultivation, Composition and Usage. Nuremberger, Fachverlag Hans Carl. 571p.
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Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    27 Oct 2023
  • Date of issue
    2023

History

  • Received
    25 Feb 2022
  • Accepted
    05 July 2023
Universidade Federal de Viçosa Av. Peter Henry Rolfs, s/n, 36570-000 Viçosa, Minas Gerais Brasil, Tel./Fax: (55 31) 3612-2078 - Viçosa - MG - Brazil
E-mail: ceres@ufv.br