USDA ACCESSION NO.: 62013

SELECTION: Seedling selection of cross 6185 made in 1961 at Corvallis, Oregon

GENUS: Humulus

SPECIES: lupulus

CULTIVAR: Comet

PEDIGREE: 19120 x 58006M; Sunshine seedling 25 S x Utah 524 2

PRIMARY SITE: USDA World Hop Cultivar Collection, OSU East Farm

ORIGIN: Cross 6185 made in 1961 at Corvallis, Oregon

DATE RECEIVED: Selected and Accession No. assigned in 1962.

METHOD RECEIVED: Seedling selection

AVAILABILITY: Commercial cultivar, no restrictions.

REFERENCES: Zimmermann, C. E., S. T. Likens, A. Haunold, C. E. Homer and D. D. Roberts. Registration of Comet Hop (Registration No. 3). Crop Sci. 15:98. 1975.

Schwartz, B. W. New American Hop Varieties. In: Steiner's Guide to American Hops. Book 2. S. S. Steiner, New York, NY 1977.

MATURITY: Medium late

LEAF COLOR: Light green early in the season, turning darker green as the season progresses.

SEX: Female

DISEASES: Downy Mildew: susceptible

Verticillium wilt: resistant

Viruses: free of Prunus Necrotic Ringspot Virus and Hop Mosaic Virus.

VIGOR: Excellent

POLLEN SHEDDING: Very good, 1700 to 2000 lbs per acre

SIDE ARM LENGTH: 24 40 inches

ALPHA ACIDS: 11.3% (8 year range: 9.4 to 12.4%)

BETA ACIDS: 4.6% (8 year range: 3.0 to 6.1%)

COHUMULONE: 41%

STORAGE STABILITY: Good to very good

OIL: 1.98 ml/100 g (8 year range: 1.40 to 3.31%)

MAJOR TRAITS: Relatively high alpha acids content; Wild American aroma that is objectionable to some brewers, highly resistant (perhaps immune) to Prunus Necrotic Ringspot virus infection, yellowish green leaf color early in the season.

OTHER INFORMATION: Released as high alpha hop primarily for production in Washington and Idaho. Acreage expanded to 635 acres in 1980 (1% of US production), but declined after 1981 following the release of super alpha hops. Comet today is no longer grown commercially.