Washington State University

Pacific Northwest Flavor Crops

Healthy Hop Yard close-up

Close-up of healthy hop yard

Working Together for "Flavor Crops"

Hops and mint are both perennial crops that depend upon the presence of complex flavor components for marketability. Both are specialty crops produced predominately in the Pacific Northwest states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Stakeholders in both industries have clearly stated their need for economically sustainable control of specific arthropod pests, weeds, and diseases, and their concern about the impact of water shortage on the viability of their crops. With this mandate, we began a multi-state (Washington, Oregon, Idaho), multi-institutional (WSU, OSU, UofI, USDA-ARS), transdisciplinary (entomology, plant pathology, weed science, irrigation engineering, food science, economics, sociology, communication) Coordinated Agricultural Project in September 2009 to investigate the impacts of certain biotic (spider mite, aphid, powdery/downy mildew, weed) and abiotic (water-shortage/drought) stresses on these two high-value-added specialty crops. This website summarizes the progress made to date.

First year summary report: September 2010 Report to USDA National Institute of Food & Agriculture

Flowering Mint Field close-up

Close-up of flowering mint field

Hop ConesHops

  • Scientific name Humulus lupulus
  • Washington is the nation’s #1 hop producer
  • Oregon is the nation’s #2 hop producer
  • Washington is the nation’s #3 hop producer
  • WA, OR & ID have over 99% of the nation’s hop acreage
  • WA, OR & ID have ~ 25% of worldwide hop acreage 

Mint Sprig with Bloom

Mint

  • Peppermint scientific name Mentha ×piperita L. (pro sp.) [aquatica × spicata]
  • Spearmint scientific name Mentha spicata
  • Washington is #1 mint-producing state in the nation
  • Oregon is the #2 producer of peppermint and the #4 producer of spearmint
  • Idaho is the #3 producer of all mint

A project of Washington State University in cooperation with

Logos for USDA, Oregon State University, University of Idaho, and USDA-ARS

Washington State IPM Coordinator, WSU Irrigated Agriculture Research & Extension Center, Prosser WA 99350, 509-786-9287