The impact of weather conditions on alpha-acid content in hop (Humulus lupulus L.) cv. Aurora

Abstract

The influence of four main weather attributes on the content of alpha-acids of the hop cv. Aurora for the period 1994-2019 was studied. By analysing correlation coefficients, specific times of the year when the weather conditions affect the alpha-acid content with the goal of creating a forecasting model in Slovenia were identified. The most significant periods of weather that impacted the alpha-acid contents throughout the growing time of year are recognised as attributes of temperatures (T), rainfall (R) and sunshine (S) calculated from the 25th to 30th week (T2530, r = -0.78, P < 0.01; R2529, r = 0.72, P < 0.01 and S2529, r = -0.81, P < 0.01) and attributes of relative humidity (RH) from the 27th to 32nd week (RH2732, r = 0.82, P < 0.01). T2530 stands for the amount of active temperatures from June 18 to July 29. Likewise, R2530 matches to the precipitation (in mm or L/m2) during the same time period.

Keywords

• hop quality
• α
• -acids
• brewing process
• biosynthesis
• vegetative period