PHYSIOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF OLIVE (OLEA EUROPAEA L.) GENOTYPES: A CASE STUDY ON LIGURIA REGION GERMPLASM

Olive (Olea europea L.) trees are adapted to the Mediterranean climate, where the species is widely cultivated. In the last decades, in Italy there has been an increasing interest for production of typical olive oil, which has induced researchers to study local varieties of the species in order to characterize the various genotypes, both in terms of productivity and ecophysiological performances. In addition, intensive olive plantations need more rational agronomic practices (watering and fertilization), because of restrictive regulation for limiting the negative impact on the environment and for reducing management costs. However, the management of olive orchards is still based on empirical data, while scarce information is provided by technical and physiological studies. A better knowledge of physiological dynamics and genetic plasticity is therefore necessary for modern olive growing. In this study, we summarize data on dry mass partitioning, leaf functions, nutrient dynamics and phenology collected in the last years on different olive genotypes belonging to the Liguria Region area. The experimental plantation is located in Santo Stefano Magra (La Spezia) and the climate of the area is typical sub-humid Mediterranean, with cool-wet winters and hot-dry summers.