Breeding disease resistant hops for the craft beer industry

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The craft beer industry is experiencing explosive growth across Canada. Along with this growth, there is a growing demand for locally grown hops. Brookdale Farms is one of only a handful of agricultural businesses who are experimenting with hop growing on the east coast of Canada. They produce hops for their sister company, the Tatamagouch Brewing Company, a rapidly growing craft brewery located close to the farm. In Nova Scotia, hop growing is challenging because of high humidity and the associated pressure of fungal diseases, especially powdery mildew. The proposed research will enable Brookdale Farms to breed their own novel, mildew resistant hop cultivars suitable for cultivation in Nova Scotia. By the end of the project, hop seedlings carrying disease resistance genes will be delivered to Brookdale Farms along with optimized protocols for future breeding efforts. Brookdale Farms will maintain the resulting plants and select the best from among them to commercialize several years from now. The resulting hop cultivars will not only require less chemical input to grow, but their future commercialization within Nova Scotia has the potential to provide the local craft beer industry with their own unique hop cultivars, providing an innovative marketing advantage for the local industry, and a unique commercialization opportunity for Brookdale Farms.