Since its establishment in 1952, the Slovenian Institute of Hop Research and Brewing (IHPS) has played a central role in the scientific and technological development of Slovenian hop production. As the only public institution in Slovenia concentrating long-term expertise in hop cultivation, processing and related disciplines, IHPS provides research-based knowledge and practical support directly to hop growers and other stakeholders in the sector.
The professional task Technology of Hop Production and Processing is carried out within the Public Service for Hop Production, implemented by IHPS and financed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food of the Republic of Slovenia. The task covers a broad range of activities essential for efficient, sustainable and competitive hop production. These include monitoring and forecasting economically important diseases and pests, detecting emerging harmful organisms, assessing irrigation requirements, forecasting yield, determining technological maturity of individual hop varieties, and preparing fertilisation recommendations. Meteorological data are continuously processed and integrated with crop observations to support decisions on hop growth and development, irrigation, plant protection and nutrient management.
An important part of the programme is the development and improvement of production and post-harvest technologies. Field trials are used to test and adapt cultivation practices to Slovenian growing conditions, with the aim of achieving high, stable and high-quality yields while maintaining the competitiveness and sustainability of the sector. Research also addresses harvesting, drying, processing and storage, where IHPS has a complete experimental infrastructure, including approximately 27 ha of experimental fields and its own hop harvesting and drying facilities. This enables practical testing of improvements in harvesting efficiency, drying conditions, processing procedures and storage stability.
The programme is further supported by IHPS laboratories, including accredited analytical capacities in the fields of hop and brewing analysis, plant protection and related quality parameters. Economic aspects are also included through model calculations of hop production costs and analyses of the international hop market, providing growers with information relevant to production planning, investment and marketing decisions.
Through the combination of field experimentation, diagnostics, analytical support, meteorological monitoring and economic assessment, the professional task provides an integrated knowledge base for the continuous improvement of Slovenian hop production and processing.
For more information, please contact this professional task leader, dr. Barbara Čeh (barbara.ceh@ihps.si).
