AGRONOMIC CHARACTERIZATION AND CARPOMETRY OF OLIVE TREE CULTIVARS IN THE SOUTH OF MINAS GERAIS

Olive tree growing is recent and up to now, its productive attributes and those of the available cultivars of this country are not known. The agronomic characterization and carpometry of the fruits of the different cultivars is vital aiming at the advance of the Brazilian olive growing. The aim of this work was carrying out both the agronomic characterization and carpometry of olive tree cultivars. The experiment was conducted on the experimental farm of the Brazilian Enterprise for Agricultural Research of Minas Gerais (Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária de Minas Gerais - EPAMIG) at Maria da Fé, South of Minas Gerais, Brazil. For agronomic characterization a completely randomized design with three replicates was utilized, that is, one plant per plot. Production, yield, number of fruits per plant, trunk section, outer surface and crown volume were evaluated. For carpometric characterization a completely randomized design with 10 (ten) replicates was utilized, namely, one fruit or pit per plot. Length, breadth, mass and volume of fruits and pits and also the pulp/pit ratio of olive fruits were evaluated as well. The agronomic characteristics of the plants ranged among the cultivars. Standing out ‘Negroa’, which displayed highest, production, yield and number of fruits, ‘MGS ASC322’ largest trunk section, ‘MGS MISS293’ greatest volume and outer surface of the crown and ‘JB1’ presented the greatest ratio outer surface of crown/number of fruits. As to carpometry, ‘MGS GRAP556’ presented highest results both in the fruits and in the pits and ‘MGS GRAP541’ presented highest pulp/pit ratio.