CURRENT MEASURES TO IMPROVE THE BREEDING OF COMMON HOPS IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
He article describes the morphological features of 12 hop varieties included in the State Register of the Russian Federation. So, the varieties Tsivilsky, Mikhailovsky, Favorit are early ripe; Povyazny, Druzhny, Favorite, Pharaoh, Forward, Feudal, Fakir, Flagship - mid-early, Krylatsky, Twilight, Mikhailovsky - mid-ripening. The biological yield of the mid-early variety Podvyazny and mid-ripening varieties Flagman, Krylatsky, Sumer is quite high - from 30.5 to 33.3 centners per hectare, and in the rest it is lower by 5.3 centners per hectare. The average content of alpha acids in the aromatic group: in the varieties Mikhailovsky, Pharaoh - is 2.8-3.8%; in varieties Tsivilsky, Forward, Feudal, Favorit and Fakir - 4.4-5.5%. In the early ripe variety Druzhny, mid-early varieties Podvyazny, Flagman and mid-season variety Sumer this indicator is much higher (6.6-9.0%). The article gives a comparative assessment of the features of foreign and domestic hop breeding. The results of studies performed using the method of liquid chromatography (high pressure extraction of bitter substances) using methanol (methyl alcohol) in the biochemistry laboratory of the Institute of Hop Growing of the Czech Republic showed that domestic varieties contain 16.9-26.3% cohumulene. The Podvyazny variety has a higher alpha acid content compared to aromatic varieties, and the beer obtained from it has an unobtrusive tasty bitterness and a delicate aroma. It is the most promising variety, has a high productivity potential, reaching 25-28 c/ha, which is combined with a high content of alpha acids in cones (from 5.0% or more). For various reasons, other varieties of common hop are cultivated in small quantities. In the variety Sumer, in some years, a garlic smell appears in the cones; in the Krylatsky variety, sometimes in the female form of plants (on one bush), male panicle inflorescences appear, which lead to the seeding of cones. Variety Druzhny belongs to the bitter type, its cones give the beer a strong bitterness. The Flagman variety has a cap-shaped bush, with long side branches, which causes problems during the mechanized harvesting of hops. Cones of the Mikhailovsky variety lose their color when dried and become unattractive for sale. Group F cultivars, the maternal line of which are Istrinsky 15 and Istrinsky 16, can be significantly damaged by downy mildew. The need to expand the areas of breeding work was proved: the creation of varieties with a certain quality of hop cones for their subsequent use in the brewing industry, as well as for decorative purposes. The problem of selection work in the Russian Federation is highlighted, the role of state support in the development of hop growing is considered. Attention is drawn to the need to strengthen the material and technical base of scientific institutions.