From 13. 1. to 18. 1. San Diego (USA) was hosting an International Plant and Animal Genome Conference that was attended also by our coworkers. Associate Prof. Andreja Čerenak presented Biotechnological Approaches Used in Slovenian Hop Breeding Program at the Hop Breeding and Genomics Session. PhD students Marjeta Eržen and Lucija Luskar presented their research work with posters. More than 3500 attendees have gathered during six days of conference.
Successful Conclusion of the Two-Day 60th Jubilee Seminar on Hops in Portorož
On February 9th and 10th, 2023, the Institute held the highly anticipated 60th anniversary seminar on hops in Portorož, Slovenia. The esteemed event was formally inaugurated by the Institute’s director, Mr. Bojan Cizej, the esteemed hop elder, Aljoša Uršič, and hop princess, Minca Marovt.
M.Sc. Marjeta Bizjak, on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Food, extended a warm welcome to the participants. During her speech, she emphasized the importance of sustainable food production and the pressing environmental challenges facing the industry. She proposed irrigation, a circular economy, and the development of new hop varieties that are resilient to climate change, diseases, and pests as potential solutions. She expressed hope that the seminar would provide solutions and conclusions that would aid the ministry in its future endeavors.
Following her opening remarks, M.Sc. Bizjak delivered a compelling presentation on the Common Agricultural Policy 2023-2027, focusing on hop cultivation. All 110 attendees listened with rapt attention.
The two-day seminar featured 22 professional lectures presented in three sections, performed by a blend of in-house and guest experts.
The director of IHPS, Mr. Bojan Cizej, concluded the seminar by sharing 15 key takeaways that were derived from the lectures and discussions held during the event.
We extend our heartfelt appreciation to all the participants, especially the hop growers and experts in the field of hops, for their active engagement.
We also wish to express our sincere gratitude to all the sponsors who provided financial support to make this momentous 60th anniversary seminar on hops a resounding success.
The Autumn meeting of the Commodity Expert Group (CEG) Minor Uses in Hops took place face-to-face in the hop region in Poperinge, Belgium from 8 to 9 November, 2022. The meeting was attended by 20 experts from 5 EU countries and also from the USA. On the meeting exchanged experiences from the last hop growing season, plant protection issues in each MS, reports on noteworthy 2022 trials and projects in EUMUDA, and an outlook on planned 2023 activities. General issues on the agenda were the concept of LWA in a hop production, the EU review situation for hops and EU MRL situation, regulatory affairs, and MRL status for different hop markets over the world (India, Korea, Vietnam, etc.). On the meeting CEG members informed about a Proposal for Sustainable use of PPPs and amending Regulation (EU) 2021/2115. The most important issue at the meeting was an organic hop production – and its expected development in the near future.
After the formal meeting, we visited a hop farm that grows hops according to the principles of organic production. After the tour, we had the opportunity to test their beers, brewed from organic hops.
Several CEG Hops participants in front of Poperinge town hall.
On the occasion of the Institute’s 70th anniversary, we published the jubilee issue of the Hmeljar magazine. Our work over the past 20 years, since the publication of the 50th anniversary publication titled Half a Century of the Temple of Green Learning, is presented. We invite you to browse it: pdf [8,52 mB].
We would like to inform you that, within the framework of the European project LIFE BioTHOP, Guidelines for the management of hop biomass and its composting on hop-growing farms have been published. The guidelines provide a detailed description of the handling of hop biomass before and during composting, as well as the possible use of the resulting compost on agricultural holdings.
These guidelines are not a legally binding document; their purpose is explanatory. They aim to bring together, in one place, relevant legislative information as well as technical instructions for the proper and professional implementation of composting. Nevertheless, legal provisions take precedence over the content of this document and must always be observed.
We would like to thank all co-authors of the document, as well as all reviewers and staff of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (MKGP), and especially the staff of the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning (MOP), which is also a co-financer of the LIFE BioTHOP project. Their contribution was of great importance.
If you have any questions or suggestions for improvement, please feel free to contact us. The guidelines will be updated in the future in line with new approaches to composting and any changes in legislation.
The guidelines are available on the LIFE BioTHOP project website.
About an original scientific article published in a reputable scientific journal and produced in collaboration with dr. Andreja Čerenak and other colleagues of the international consortium, you can read on the Australian website, which can be seen on
https://www.hops.com.au/new-technology-separating-the-boys-from-the-girls/
We are pleased to inform you that on August 7th, 2017, STYRIAN HOPS were registered as Protected Geographical Indication.
Consequently, starting with the 2017 harvest, hops produced from Slovenian varieties in Slovenia will be marked with EU labels.
Let it serve the Slovenian Hop Industry!