Brazil: Studies prove the viability of hop cultivation in São Paulo

Almost all of the hops used in Brazil for brewing are imported, especially from Germany and the United States. However, a group of researchers from the University of São Paulo (USP) has tested the viability of the plant's production in the state of São Paulo, obtaining promising results. In an experiment published in the European Journal of Agronomy, four hop cultivars (three North American and one European) were tested over two years in Ribeirão Preto. Two of them (Cascade and Chinook, both North American) developed satisfactorily, according to physiological and growth parameters. The main difficulty in growing hops in a tropical climate is the incidence of light. In the Northern Hemisphere, summer guarantees around 16 hours of natural light per day, while in Brazil it is up to 14 hours. To overcome this problem, the researchers installed artificial lighting panels to extend the luminous period. With the promising result on the Cascade and Chinook cultivars, part of the group of ...