What are the characteristics of hops?

Humulus lupulus L. is also called hops, hops, yeast flowers and hops in China. It is a perennial twining herb of Moraceae. Distributed in Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Zhejiang, Sichuan and other provinces. It has been cultivated in Northeast China, North China and Shandong, and has spread all over the country so far. This product was listed in the first part of China Pharmacopoeia (1977 edition) as an antituberculosis drug. Immature green spike (cone) is used as medicine. The fruit sequence contains geraniol, humulone, geraniol ester, lupinone, lupeol, lupeol and so on. In addition, it also contains humulone, isohumulone, hops ketone, humulone, xanthohumol, tannin, etc., and has pharmacological effects of bacteriostasis, anesthesia, estrogen, invigorating stomach and diuresis, relieving cough, eliminating phlegm and relieving asthma. Bitter taste, flat nature. Has antibacterial, antiinflammatory, heat and toxic materials clearing away, stomach invigorating, digestion promoting, fatigue relieving, tranquilizing, diuretic and nourishing effects. Indications: anorexia, abdominal distension, tuberculosis, pleurisy, insomnia, hysteria, edema, pleurisy, etc.

I. Morphological characteristics

The stem length is more than 10m, and the whole plant is densely hairy with barbs. Leaves opposite, stipitate, petiole length does not exceed the length of leaves; Leaf blade is papery, ovoid, 4-8 cm wide, heart-shaped or round at the base, indehiscent or 3-5-lobed, with coarse serrations at the edge, densely covered with small bristles, and sparse hairs and yellow oil spots below. Flowers are unisexual and dioecious; Male flowers are yellow-green, arranged in panicles, with 5 perianth segments and 5 stamens; The female flower has a bract axil every two flowers, and the bracts are arranged in a nearly round spike. Fruit is conical, achene 1 or 2, surrounded by enlarged bracts.

Second, biological characteristics.

(1) growth and development

After bud cutting every spring, hops germinate again, emerge from underground roots, form new aboveground stems, grow leaves, spread and bloom until they are picked. As the temperature drops, the aboveground parts gradually wither, nutrients are transferred to the stalks, and they begin to hibernate and overwinter, thus completing a growth cycle. China has a vast territory and the climatic conditions are very different, so the growth and development laws of hops in the north and south are also very different.

1. Root and underground stem growth

(1) root growth

The taproot of hops is several meters deep in suitable soil layer, and it is distributed in 60-80 cm soil layer. Many kinds of rhizomes in South China were planted in the same year, and new roots could grow on the cut at the bottom of the seed rhizomes, on the injured roots left on the rhizomes, and on the buds and branches of the rhizomes that were pumped under the soil. When the temperature is lower than 3℃, the root system grows slowly, and when the temperature is higher than 12℃, a large number of roots are absorbed. When the average temperature is 7- 12℃, more roots will grow after only 20-25 days of rhizome planting.

(2) the growth of underground stems

There are opposite buds on the underground stem, which are small and flat at first and surrounded by buds outside. When the rhizome is elongated and enlarged in autumn, the bud breaks through the bud and bulges into a bud node. The growth of root buds is negatively correlated with the growth of aboveground parts of plants. June-August is the peak period of aboveground flowering of hops, and the growth of roots and buds is inhibited, and the elongation is not obvious. After September, the aboveground part grows near the stump, and the elongation of root buds is obviously accelerated. Before the root buds enter hibernation, they can generally be extended to 5-7 mm, but in case of high temperature in autumn, the buds near the ground can also be extended to about 2 cm. In the second spring, the ground temperature gradually increased, and the roots and buds moved and grew, pulling out the ground and growing into tender stems on the ground. Generally, the buds in shallow soil layer are unearthed before those in deep soil layer. On a bud node, if one bud grows well, the rest will grow weakly or not. The main bud in the center of each bud node grows fastest. If the main bud is injured, the other side bud will grow quickly. Therefore, it is advisable to plant hops before bud elongation, otherwise it will damage root buds, affect plant growth and reduce yield.

2. The growth of vine stems on the ground

(1) Growth of main vine

Hop is a twining plant, which needs to be cultivated on scaffolding. When hops are unearthed, they are still upright when the height is about 50cm. As the vines grow, they begin to grow up along the ropes hanging from the scaffolding. In May, the stems and branches grow rapidly, extending 20-30cm every day. When the bud blooms, the growth rate gradually slows down due to the increase of nutrient consumption. When the flowering amount of plants increases to a certain extent, the main vine stops growing. A main vine can have 20-30 knots, each with different lengths. The central section is longer, and the sections gradually become shorter from the center up or down. The length of vines and internodes is affected by environmental conditions, such as insufficient fertilizer, poor lighting conditions, high groundwater level in soil, pests and diseases, etc. This will obviously affect the growth of plants.

(2) the growth of lateral branches

When the length of the main vine of hops is greater than 1m, the axillary buds on the main vine begin to sprout and branch, which is a side branch. The length of lateral branches is the earliest and longest in the lower part of the main vine, followed by the middle part and the shortest in the upper part. Almost all hops grow on lateral branches, and the number and structure of lateral branches have a great relationship with yield. North China is a first-class flowering area, and the main buds on the nodes grow and develop into first-class flowering branches. In the sub-flowering area of South China, first, the main buds on each node grow and develop into the first flower branch, called spring shoots, which produce summer flowers; Then, when the growth of the main vine is almost over and the first flower branch blooms and develops, the secondary buds on the main vine node grow and develop one after another, resulting in the second flower branch, which is called summer shoot and bears autumn flowers. Different from the north, there are fewer summer flowers and more autumn flowers in the south, and the output of autumn flowers accounts for more than 60% of the total output.

(3) the development of flowers and fruits

(1) Development of female flowers When vegetative growth reaches the middle of May, it turns to reproductive growth, and the buds in the axils of lateral branches differentiate into flower branches and grow buds. The flowering period begins 3-5 days after germination. It usually takes 25-30 days for hops to sprout and bloom. When hops bloom, two white-haired stigmas on the ovary protrude from the bud, and dozens of female flowers gather together to form a flower ball. The flowering order per plant is the earliest in the middle branch, the second in the upper part and the latest in the lower part. The number of flowers per plant is the highest in the lower part, followed by the middle part and the least in the upper part. The number of inflorescences per plant ranges from several hundred to one or two thousand. The number of flowers per inflorescence is 4 to 7 days. The flowering days of each flower branch per plant are about 7- 10 days, with 3-6 days or 4-7 days being the most.

(2) Development of cones. The stigma of cone withered and turned red-brown about 7 days after extending bracts, and then began to wither a week later. At the same time, the outer bracts and inner bracts also increased rapidly. Generally, cones can be formed 20 days after flowering and mature in about 6 weeks. The ratio of the number of outer bracts to inner bracts of mature cones is generally 2∶4. The outer bract is a kind of protective organ with few glands and thin inner bract. It is a flying organ, and there are many golden particles at the lower end, that is, hops glands, which contain α -acid and are the main components of beer brewing and sterilization. The unfertilized ovary is attached to the inner side of the involucre base.

(2) Environmental requirements

1. Temperature and lighting

Hops are warm and sunny plants. The suitable temperature is 16-23℃, the average annual temperature is 2.6- 12.3℃, and the average growth temperature is 14- 19℃. May-August is the period of rapid growth of main vines and the formation and development of flower heads, with an average temperature of 17-23℃. During the 40-60 days before the flowering and ripening of hops, temperature is a very important factor, especially the α -acid content.

From 65438 to 0982, the determination data of α-acid in hops in three bases in Hangzhou suburb, namely Coral Sand, Xinfeng and Pengbu, were analyzed. It was found that the α-acid content in hops was low in the early stage and high in the late stage of a year. In other words, the α -acid content of summer flowers is lower than that of autumn flowers. The content of α -acid in hops from three bases gradually increased after mid-July, with the highest α -acid content in Hops from Coral Sand being 7.4% in mid-August, and the highest α -acid content in Hops from Xinfeng and Pengbu being 6.7% and 6.87% in1mid-October. Therefore, the temperature is closely related to the content of α -acid in hops.

Hops need plenty of sunshine, rainy and short sunshine, which affects the growth and development of hops and significantly reduces the acid content. For example, 1983, the mildewed rain period in Zhejiang was prolonged, the sunshine hours were reduced, the quality of hops was poor, and α -acid could not meet the first-class flower standard.

According to the investigation in 1982, the hop base of Xiaoshan Winery is equipped with three 100 candlelight lamps, which are turned on from 7: 00 every night to 5: 00 the next morning. The light bulb is 3.2 meters from the top of the hop shed. It was found that hops were long and knobby, the leaves became smaller, the bulbs became smaller and more, and the α -acid content was higher than that of those without prolonged light (Table 65438

Table 15—45 Effects of Long-term Light on Hops

The above examples show that the growth and development of hops and the formation of acids need certain light. The suitable sunshine hours for hops are 1700-2937 hours, those for Hangzhou from March to September are 1238.8 hours, and the annual sunshine hours are 1944.5 hours. As long as the cultivation management is strengthened, the yield and quality of hops in Zhejiang can still be improved.

Step 2: Moisture

Generally speaking, hops need water, but not too much. Specifically, it should also be based on the water demand of hops in each growth period.

Hops have developed roots, long vines, many branches and lush leaves, and need a lot of water during the whole growth process, especially in the middle stage.

From emergence to shedding, less water is needed. Jiangsu and Zhejiang are rainy and rainy, with insufficient sunshine, low temperature, few plants, small evaporation, high groundwater level and generally no shortage of water. On the contrary, timely drainage after rain can reduce the humidity in the field and is beneficial to the robust growth of hops.

From jointing to flowering in the shed, although a lot of water is needed to transport nutrients to the flower ball, the south is in the rainy season and there is still no shortage of water.

July and August are the time for budding and heading, which requires a lot of water. At this time, Jiangsu and Zhejiang have entered the high temperature and dry season. If irrigation is not done in time and the required water is supplied, the output will be seriously reduced.

There are not many flowers in the later stage, so water needs to be reduced, and irrigation is generally not needed.

3. Land

Hops do not require high soil quality. Generally, soil can be planted, but it is best to be fertile and loose. Hops have big roots and are fat-loving. Therefore, the soil with deep soil layer, loose and fertile soil, flat terrain and abundant sunshine is more suitable, and the soil with water and fertilizer conservation, drought resistance and waterlogging tolerance is more conducive to the growth and development of hops, with neutral pH and slightly acidic to slightly alkaline.

Hops are physiologically drought-tolerant and waterlogged-tolerant. Generally, drought has little effect on the growth of hops and will not cause disasters. For example, in Zhejiang province of 1983, the period of mildew and rain is long, and then suddenly there is high temperature and drought, which does not last long. The hop base of Xiaoshan Brewery used furrow irrigation to meet the water demand, and still achieved a good harvest. However, it rains for a long time in spring, and some hops in Coral Sand in the suburb of Hangzhou are seriously waterlogged, and the water in the ditch can't be discharged, so the soil seepage ability is weak, which not only affects the growth and development of hops, but also easily leads to downy mildew, which leads to the decline of yield and quality. Therefore, the soil for planting hops is not only high and dry, with good drainage and low groundwater level, but also has good soil quality and strong water permeability.

Third, cultivation techniques.

(1) variety

1. Qingdao Dahua

The main vine is green, the plant is tall and lush, the main vine is 1-2 cm thick, with few epidermal thorns, long internodes and developed lateral branches. The leaves are broad, palmately three or five, and the petiole is 9- 14 cm long. The flower body is large, rectangular and light green when mature. It's a late-maturing variety.

2. Hala Road (Xiaohua)

Originally a German variety, the main vine is red and green, with 6 reddish longitudinal stripes, prickly, long internodes and developed lateral branches. Leaves palmately trifoliate, petiole 8- 12 cm long. When mature, the flower body is oval and yellow-green. It is a stable variety with good quality, strong fragrance and strong disease resistance.

3. Czech Republic 4

The main vine is green, with prickly epidermis, short internodes, underdeveloped lateral branches, thicker leaves and shorter petioles. When mature, the flower body is green and the flower body is small, which is an early-maturing variety.

Step 4 connect in series

Aromatic hops imported from America. Strong adaptability, vigorous growth, high flowering rate, neat flower balls, yellow-green color, strong fragrance and long flowering period. High acid content, stable fruit at each stage and strong disease resistance.

5. Changbai 1

Bitter hops cultivated in China. It has vigorous growth, strong branching, blue-green flower head, abundant pollen, good fragrance, high yield and high α -acid content.

(2) Deep turning and fine finishing, deep furrow and high ridge.

Hops are deep-rooted crops, and the soil is deep and loose, which is beneficial to the growth and development of roots. Therefore, after digging out the old roots in early and middle March, before planting, we must choose sunny weather and dig deep into the land. The depth should be 50-75 cm or more, depending on the depth of the tillage layer. Break the clods and make a complete plot. In the south, it is advisable to raise the ridge and open the drainage ditch to facilitate drainage.

(3) Shallow planting should be healthy and close planting should be appropriate.

Multi-line asexual propagation of hops means cutting strong and pest-free seedlings from new mother stems and underground lateral stems for propagation. The "Qingdao Dahua" variety is adopted, the middle and lower layers are thick (about 1cm in diameter), with 4-5 knots, fresh and tender skin color, no pests and no mildew. Close to the soil surface or bare roots are the wintering places for downy mildew, which is easy to get sick in the second year and should not be used.

Soaking the seeds with 1% bordeaux solution or 40% 300 times solution 12h before planting the rhizomes can reduce the harm of downy mildew.

Shallow planting, with the top of rhizome flush with the soil surface. After planting, the ditch mud nourishes the soil, which is a steamed bun-shaped pier, which is beneficial to drainage and prevents rotten planting.

The planting density should be determined according to the soil and fertility conditions, and the general plant spacing is 1.3× 1.4m, with 350-360 plants per mu.

(4) Check carefully to ensure the whole seedling.

Spring is cold and rainy, with high humidity and high groundwater level. Although the strong seedlings were selected and planted shallowly, the roots will still rot, the seedlings will be uneven, and there will be many plants missing, which will seriously affect the yield. Therefore, hops should be carefully inspected in time after emergence, and seedlings should be replenished in time to ensure the whole seedling and lay the foundation for increasing production.

(5) Leave vines to attract vines, thin branches and pick leaves.

Hops are vines and need to be cultivated on scaffolding. The height of the frame is generally1.8-2.0m. Hops have strong tillering ability, so it is not advisable to leave too many vines for each hop. Generally, two branches are left before summer flowers are harvested, and 1 branch is added when summer flowers begin to be harvested (around the beginning of July) to remove redundant new buds. Too many vines grow in vain. Insufficient illumination and less flower balls will reduce production. Leave branches under the shed. Judging from the situation in Zhejiang producing areas, although the branches are strong in rainy season, they are easy to rot and cannot grow. Beginning of autumn can leave more branches in the future. As the temperature rises gradually, the number of flowers increases and the number of flowers increases, which is beneficial to improve the yield.

Hop vines grow fast and have strong intertwining, so it is necessary to guide vines to the shelf in time, pull branches into the shed and distribute them evenly, so as to prevent multiple vines from intertwining into "dragons" or gathering together to form a "swarm of bees". It is necessary to properly remove the old leaves in time and cut off the branches and vines with summer flowers to make the shed ventilated and transparent. This can not only reduce the occurrence of pests and diseases, but also help to bear more flowers and increase yield.

(6) Apply sufficient base fertilizer and topdressing frequently.

Hops are high-yield crops, with a growing period of more than 200 days. A plant can bear hundreds or even thousands of flowers, which requires a lot of fertilizer. Its fertilization principle is "applying sufficient base fertilizer, topdressing frequently, and then applying key fertilizer". Organic fertilizer (pig, sheepfold fertilizer, garbage, cake fertilizer) is mainly used, supplemented by chemical fertilizer. Reasonable collocation of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Generally, 750 kg of sheepfold fertilizer, 50-75 kg of calcium superphosphate and 50-75 kg of cake fertilizer are used as base fertilizers, which are applied to holes or holes when turning over the soil. Top dressing before emergence at the end of March or early April, applying 500 kg; Dilute human excrement and urine per mu; In mid-April, when the seedling height is 20-30cm, 750kg/mu is applied with 10% diluted manure; The middle and late June or the middle and early July is the most vigorous period of vegetative growth and reproductive growth of hops, which requires a lot of nutrients and is the key moment of topdressing, so it is called "key fertilizer" and must be topdressing. Thereafter, 65,438+0,000 kg of diluted human excrement or 65,438+0.5 kg of chemical fertilizer were applied every 65,438+00 days or so to promote the increase of cones and bloom undefeated. In some places, organic fertilizer 1000- 1500kg, cake fertilizer 50-75kg, calcium superphosphate 25-50kg and potassium fertilizer 100kg should be applied circularly per mu, and the fertilization should be 20cm away from the rhizosphere so as not to damage the root system. After fertilization, the topsoil should be 20 cm high to prevent fertilizer from losing in the rain.

(7) intertillage weeding and diligent management

After mid-May, Jiangnan entered the rainy season, with weeds growing, heavy rain and high humidity, which easily caused root rot and even the whole batch of plants withered, resulting in falling flowers and reducing production. In addition to ditching and drainage, weeding and shallow intertillage should be done frequently to keep the soil loose and plants grow healthily. At the same time, it is beneficial to the growth of hops to cultivate the soil frequently, raise the soil temperature, and keep the fertilizer and dry.

(eight) pests and diseases and their prevention and control

1. Downy mildew

Pseudoperonospora sp. ) Wells

It is a worldwide destructive fungal disease, which occurs all over China. The disease began to occur in Hangzhou from the end of April to the beginning of May, and it was the most harmful from mid-May to mid-June. Pathogens can invade seedlings, leaves, branches and bulbs, showing different symptoms. Shortly after the seedling was unearthed, the tip of the seedling shrank, the stem nodes became shorter, the leaves curled downward, and the texture became brittle, making it impossible to climb. The pulp is yellowish brown after incision. When the leaves came up, the diseased spots on the leaves were initially in the shape of water collapse, and then they continued to expand. Restricted by the veins of the leaves, they are polygonal or irregular, 1-5 mm, and then merge with each other to form brown spots and gradually die. Under wet conditions, there is a gray-black downy mildew layer under the leaves. Most branches and vines appear in tender shoots. After getting sick, they contract and curl, and their internodes become shorter, hanging under leaves or clusters in a "faucet-like" shape. Flower farmers call it "chicken disease", which is brown and dry in severe cases. After the onset of the flower ball, the bracts are yellow-green first, then brown spots, and gradually expand. The diseased flowers are sometimes staggered and mottled, which causes the whole ear to brown and die when it is serious, and a layer of gray mold grows on it when it is wet. The pathogen overwinters in the rhizome of perennial hops as oospores or mycelium. In the coming year, withered buds will be born, and sporangium will be formed on them, which will become the primary source of infection. After May, continuous rain and high humidity are beneficial to the disease under the condition that the temperature is suitable for bacterial reproduction. Therefore, downy mildew in southern China is often seriously prevalent in rainy season; Even if the climate is dry and there are germs, there is no mildew layer on the lesion. The occurrence of biennial hops is more serious than that of annual hops. Fields with poor drainage, extensive management, untimely spreading of vines, no pruning and no picking of old leaves, closed growth of hops and high humidity in microclimate often suffer from serious diseases. Control method: (1) Select and keep robust rhizomes, and soak them in 300 times of 40% bisisoxazole solution 12h. At the same time, when cutting or pruning the tender buds, water the roots with the same concentration of Diyiling liquid medicine, 0.5kg per plant; (2) Ditching and drainage, reducing field humidity, rational fertilization and proper coordination of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium can promote plant growth and enhance disease resistance; (3) Timely clearing the fields, uprooting weeds and pruning and thinning leaves are beneficial to ventilation and light transmission, thus reducing the occurrence of diseases; (4) After the emergence of hops, if sick seedlings are found, 40% emulsifiable concentrate of 200 times or 50% toxic fungus of 500-800 times can be sprayed. Once every 7 days, spray 6-7 times.

2. Powdery mildew

〔DC〕。 ) burr. 〕

It starts in May and gets worse in late May. The diseased hops have yellow-brown spots on the back of their leaves, and the leaves are born from powdery mycelium. There are many small black spots on the "white powder" layer in the later stage, which are the closed capsules of pathogenic bacteria, making the plants weak, affecting photosynthesis and respiration, and reducing the yield and quality of hops. The pathogen overwinters on the soil surface with the residue of hops in the sexually closed capsule shell. In warm areas and greenhouses, hyphae can also overwinter on hops. In May and June of the following year, the ascospores were irradiated, causing the first infection. The occurrence and development of powdery mildew are closely related to temperature and humidity. Rainy weather is conducive to the occurrence of powdery mildew, especially in the "rainy season" in the south of the Yangtze River and rainy and humid autumn, which is easy to spread. The partial application of nitrogen fertilizer in cultivation management leads to the plant growing in vain, only long leaves do not bloom, the humidity under the shed is high, the ventilation and light transmission are poor, and the disease is aggravated. Control methods: (1) Strengthen field management, pay attention to cleaning under the shed, remove litter and reduce overwintering bacteria sources; (2) vines should be put on the shelves in time during the growth period to make ventilation transparent and reduce harm; (3) Apply more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer and less nitrogen fertilizer to enhance plant disease resistance; (4) At the initial stage of the disease, spray 50% thiophanate-methyl 800- 1000 times, or try spraying triadimefon.

3. Corn borer

"corn borer"

It happened in early June until autumn. Prevention and control methods: Dead leaves similar to those scalded by boiling water are found on plants at the end of May and the beginning of June, which should be removed together with petioles in time, and burned or fertilized centrally. When the main vine (stem) is killed, it is not necessary to break the stem, but a sharp knife can be used to cut one side (longitudinal section) of the stem along the wormhole to kill the larvae, and the killed hops can still continue to grow, bloom and bear fruit; In the early stage of occurrence or before the 3rd instar, when the larvae have not drilled into vines, 90% trichlorfon or 80% dichlorvos 800- 1000 times solution or 200 times solution of Bt emulsion should be used for control.

4. Ardisia cinnabarina

Tetranychus cinnabarinus

The high temperature and drought in July and August are rampant. Harmful hops start from the old leaves near the ground at the lower part and gradually develop to the upper part. Later, it dried up and fell off, and its growth was weakened, which affected the formation and expansion of flower cones. At the same time, it will also harm the cones of hops, resulting in lower yield and worse quality. Control methods: (1) After harvesting hops, turn over the ground in winter and spring, clear the fields, remove weeds and dead vines, destroy wintering sites and reduce wintering insects. (2) It is not suitable to be a leguminous plant among hops; (3) On the basis of putting vines on the shelves, thinning branches and beating leaves in time to make the shed ventilated and transparent and promote the healthy growth of hops; (4) Spraying 40% omethoate 1000 times and 20% amitraz 1000 times at the initial stage.

5.snails

(Brabana Rajda Benson)

Also known as "shield with shell", it is an important pest of hops at seedling stage. After the hops appear, they cluster in the hops field and lick the leaves and tender stems (vines), resulting in holes or tender vines being broken, which affects the growth of hops. Control methods: (1) According to the characteristics of snails lying in the daytime and coming out at night, they are killed artificially and mashed as feed or compost; (2) Remove weeds on the ground or pile grass to trap and kill or scatter barley awn to reduce the harm; (3) Grasp the spawning period, intertillage and weed in time, eliminate a large number of eggs and reduce the harm; (4) Spraying 1% lime water and 5-6kg of tea cake powder per mu.

6. moths

(Spiny salamander. )

Also known as debt-avoiding moth, it harms hops stems and leaves. Hops in Hangzhou, Shandong and other producing areas are seriously damaged by this moth, with yellow leaves and weak growth potential, which affects the yield of summer flowers and autumn flowers. There are two generations in a year. The first generation larvae damage hops leaves from May to June, and the second generation larvae damage leaves from August. Eat leaf surface and mesophyll, hide in the back of leaves at noon on sunny days, and feed on leaves in the evening, early morning or cloudy days. Control methods: (1) Remove early hanging bags in time to eliminate larvae; (2) In July and August, 90% trichlorfon 1000 times solution and 0.2% neutral soap, or 80% dichlorvos 1000- 1200 times solution can be used to spray once every seven days for three consecutive times, and spraying should be carried out in the evening or early morning to ensure spraying.

Other pests are weevil, Japanese scarab and Koch. ), armyworm, Spodoptera litura, thorn moth, cutworm.

Fourth, harvesting and processing.

(1) Harvest date

Hops are sown in March, carefully cultivated for about 3 months, and harvested in the middle and late June. As the saying goes: "Eight ripe, 100% harvest; Ten mature, 50%. " When hops reach eight ripeness, it is appropriate time to harvest. Its harvesting standard is that the cone has been shaped into a pine cone or a square column. The flower body is light yellow, the bracts are dense, the pollen glands are obvious, and the inner bracts above 1/3 can be harvested; Smells strong hops, no grass; When the cone is pinched by hand, it feels hard and makes a creaking sound; When rubbed by hand, the flower pieces are sticky and yellow and oily.

Immature hops, with blue-green flowers, have a soft feeling when kneaded by hand, and the fragrance is not strong or fragrant, the pollen grains are not full, and the sticky feeling and oil quality are not obvious when kneading the flower pieces. Overripe bulbs are reddish, white with gray, pollen is loose, pollen grains fall off, and fragrance disappears or mutates.

According to the situation in the south, hops from flowering to maturity take about 40 days in summer and 25-30 days in autumn. The flower picking season is from the end of June to the middle of 10, about 4 months, and flowers are picked in stages.

(2) Selection method

Pick by hand. In the northwest of China, hops are only picked once because they ripen once. Because the flower balls in Jiangnan area are mature in batches, they should bloom in stages. Pay attention to the following points when selecting:

(1) Pick flowers one by one. Never pick flowers in strings, so as not to damage the branches and vines, break flowers and mix leaves, and affect the quality.

(2) Each flower must have a pedicel of about 65,438+0 cm to avoid petal scattering and flower breakage.

(3) Hops should be picked first when they are mature, and then picked later. Immature bulbs should not be picked. According to the weather forecast, before the strong wind and heavy rain come, the labor force should be organized to carry out surprise picking.

(4) When harvesting summer flowers, be sure to keep the branches in autumn, so as to avoid the broken branches affecting the yield of autumn flowers.

(5) Don't pile and squeeze the collected hops to avoid heat deterioration. Hops that can't be baked for the time being should be thinly covered in a ventilated place. At the same time, pay attention to the consistency of picking quantity and baking quantity.

(3) drying and processing

Fresh cones just picked contain 60-80% water. Therefore, it must be baked in time. First, it can quickly dehydrate hops and prevent flowers from rotting and deteriorating; The second is to use temperature-rising evaporation to remove some low-boiling volatiles existing in flowers while dehydrating, thus reducing or removing the odor of weeding.

1. drying method

In northwest China, due to the large planting area of hops, 3-4 automatic ovens have been widely used, and mechanization has been realized from flowering to flowering. The areas where hops are planted in Jiangsu and Zhejiang are scattered, and the baking equipment is relatively simple. Generally, 1-2 layer drying bed is adopted. When baking, spread hops evenly on the baking bed, each layer is about 40cm thick, heat with fire tube, use natural ventilation or assemble small exhaust fan, and turn flowers manually.

The drying of hops mainly depends on mastering the temperature. If the temperature is too high, the cones will dry quickly, but they will tend to be brown, and there will be a burnt smell, and the effective components will be reduced. The α -acid content of dried flowers will be significantly lower than that of fresh flowers (Table 15-46). Zhejiang flower growers adopt the method of variable temperature baking, which is controlled at about 45℃ when they first enter the furnace, then heated to 55-60℃, and cooled to about 45℃ at 1h, and then discharged. The total baking time was 8- 10h, and the roasted hops had good color and strong aroma. When baking, besides controlling the temperature, ventilation is also used to accelerate the drying speed, shorten the baking time and save fuel. Generally, a small exhaust fan is used for ventilation, and the wind speed is 2-3 m/s; The spreading thickness is also closely related to baking time and hops quality. If it is spread too thick, it will not only prolong the baking time, but also cause uneven heating, which will inevitably lead to repeated flipping, crushing the cone and reducing the quality. The thickness is generally about 40cm; In order to bake hops evenly, it is necessary to turn over when baking. Generally, it is better to turn hops twice in one furnace. Be sure to close the oven door before turning, use coal to suppress the flame, supply air to the curing barn, and then turn the flowers after the temperature drops. Turn the flowers over, so that the upper and lower layers of flowers can be interchanged, so that they can be turned lightly, finely and without leakage, and the flowers should be folded as little as possible. When it is close to dryness in the later period, samples should be taken for inspection regularly, and the flower body should be pinched with thumb and forefinger. When seven or eight out of ten floral axis are easy to break, it can be extinguished and cooled.

Table 15—46 Effect of baking temperature on α -acid content of hops

Step 2 resurrect

The moisture content of hops after baking is about 6-8%. At this time, the dry and crisp flowers are packaged immediately, which is easy to break and must be rejuvenated. There are two kinds of resurgence: natural resurgence and artificial resurgence. Natural moisture regain is to stack the roasted hops in the moisture regain room, and open the doors and windows to make them absorb the moisture in the air to reach the moisture standard of packaging. There is much rain and high humidity in the south of the Yangtze River, so it is very simple to adopt natural moisture regain. The weather is particularly dry, and artificial spraying can also regain moisture. The moisture regain room should be ventilated, spacious, flat and clean, and close to the baking room. After moisture regain, hops should feel soft and moist when held by hand, and floral axis can still be broken. The moisture content is generally 9- 10%, which can be packaged. If the water content exceeds 12%, it is easy to go moldy and deteriorate during storage.

(4) Packaging and storage

1. Packaging

You can pack it after the low tide. Packed by a press, each package is 50kg according to the standard requirements, and the density is 350kg/m3. Generally, the place near hops is packed with kraft paper, the outside is packed with polyethylene film, and the outermost layer is wrapped with white cloth or plastic cloth. External use of iron tape tied tightly, strict packaging requirements, there can be no gaps. The production batch number, origin, variety, gross weight, net weight and date should be marked on the packaging bag, and signs such as "moisture-proof" and "light-proof" should be marked in a conspicuous position.