USDA ACCESSION NO.: 21698

SELECTION: Seedling selection Nr. 9046-41 from cross Nr. 46 made at Corvallis, OR. in 1990

GENUS: Humulus

SPECIES: lupulus

CULTIVAR: Bianca

PEDIGREE: USDA 21522 x OP; Saazer 38 x open pollinated.

PRIMARY SITE: USDA-OSU Hop experimental farm, East Farm, Corvallis, OR.

ORIGIN: open pollinated seed collected by Dr. Alfred Haunold in 1990.

DATE RECEIVED: summer 1990, selected as a seedling in 1992

METHOD RECEIVED: seedling selection

AVAILABILITY: no restrictions, publicly released variety

REFERENCES: A. Haunold, G.B. Nickerson, D.S. Kling, and U. Gampert. 1995. Crop Science 35: 1708 - 1709. 1995.

USDA-ARS. Notice of release of two ornamental hops, Sunbeam and Bianca. Washington DC, Dec. 5, 1994. (signed by C.E. Finney, Adminstrator).

MATURITY: early to medium early

LEAF COLOR: lemon yellow

SEX: female

DISEASES: downy mildew: moderately resistant

Verticillium wilt: moderately resistant

Viruses: free of all major hop viruses at the time of its release

VIGOR: good to very good

YIELD: good to very good

SIDE ARM LENGTH: 20 to 30 inches

ALPHA ACIDS: 7 to 8%

BETA ACIDS: 3.4%

COHUMULONE: 20 to 28 %

STORAGE STABILITY: fair, similar to its female parent Saazer

OIL: 0.6 to 1.0 ml/100 g. Humulene 25%; caryophyllene 8%; farnesene 13%; myrcene 30%. H/C ratio = 2.84, sometimes higher. The oil is relatively high in humulene and farnesene.

MAJOR TRAITS: lemon-yellow attractive leaf color during the whole season; reddish-brown and sometimes even pink stem color which contrasts nicely to the yellow leaves.

OTHER INFORMATION: This is an ornamental diploid hop, 2n= 20, which is not intended for commercial production. However, the cones could be suitable for flavoring beers and ales to impart a Saazer-type aroma profile. The reduced chlorophyll content makes the leaves of Bianca susceptible to leaf burn when plants are exposed to intense sunlight on hot summer days. Therefore, this variety is best grown in semishadded locations to maintain its attractive leaf color during the entire growing season. Bianca is a half-sister of Sunbeam, USDA 21697.