Karel Osvald

19. 9. 1899–16. 4. 1948 

Karel Osvald was a leading figure in Czech hop growing, a breeder and promoter of modern breeding methods using clone selection in original regional stands. His clones of the Žatec (Saaz) semi-early red-bine hop, otherwise known as Saaz hops, rule the mild aromatic hop market and are still indispensable for the brewing industry all over the world to this day. 

 

The father of the Saaz hop was born in 1899 in Domoušice near Louny. After graduating from the real grammar school in Louny in 1917 he first studied at the Agricultural Academy in Tábor and later at the University of Agricultural Engineering in Prague. He began his career as assistant at the Institute of Biology of the State Agricultural Research Institutes in Prague, where he later became commissioner.
In 1925 the Agricultural Research Station was set up in Deštnice near Žatec and, in the following year, Osvald as an expert in plant breeding was entrusted with managing the breeding work conducted at the station. From 1932 he then ran the entire station, which specialised in the research and breeding of hops, and later (in 1936) was renamed to the Hop Research Station.
By that time the Žatec variety was already one of the most sought-after hops in the world, but suffered many setbacks. The hop breeding activity and genetic research in Deštnice were motivated by efforts to cultivate high-quality and hardy crops on a smaller area, achieving high yields. Osvald gradually selected a total of 70 original plants from various grow sites around the Žatec region and commenced research which eventually resulted in hardier, better quality and higher-yield plants. In 1935 17 clones were selected and kept for further monitoring, three of which, known as the Osvald clones (no. 31, 72 and 114), were set aside for propagation. Owing to their unrivalled fragrance and other important qualities these clones became the basis for breeding Czech and foreign mildly aromatic varieties. Osvald’s clones stabilised the high quality of the Czech hop, which is considered to be the best aromatic hop in the world. During the global recession those clones secured the future of the Žatec hop, as breweries abroad had long been striving to find a cheaper substitute for the expensive Czech hop. However, Osvald made the red-bine practically indispensible for any brewery that did not want to compromise the quality of its beer. It was thus responsible not only for the boom in Czech hop growing, but also for the development of the brewing industry worldwide. Nowadays the descendants of Osvald’s clones are grown in 80 % of all Czech hop fields and the Czech Republic is the 4th biggest producer of hops, which it exports to 50 countries around the world.
In 1939, as a result of the political changes, the research station was moved from Deštnice in the Sudetenland to Rakovník further into the heart of the country. In those dramatic circumstances Osvald managed to transfer the hop clones and other biological material to the new station. In 1947, after the end of the war, the station was moved to Žatec, where it is still based today as the Hop Research Institute.
Karel Osvald is the author of a great many studies, articles and publications. The most noteworthy of these include his “Analytical Study of the Saaz Hop”, in which he presented the foundations of what would later become a sophisticated bonitation system. Also significant are his studies on hop protection and nutrition and his studies of the moisture content of dried and treated hops. He reached the peak of his scientific career in 1946, when he successfully defended his work entitled “Study of Hop Genetics” at the University of Agriculture and Forestry Engineering in Prague.
Karel Osvald died suddenly, on 16th April 1948, aged just 49. He is buried in the family tomb in Domoušice. 

 

References

Obec Deštnice. URL:  http://www.destnice.cz/index.php?nid=597&lid=cs&oid=17101 [20. 7. 2021].
Krsek, M.: Nejslavnější značky Ústeckého kraje. Ústí nad Labem 2009.
Strnadová, D.: Karel Osvald a jeho přínos českému chmelařství, in: Osobnosti v zemědělství (Prameny a studie 46). Praha 2011, s. 26–32.

jam, mk