Evaluation of the vegetative-productive behavior of different olive cultivars for their adaptability to high-density cultivation

ISHS Secretariat
Evaluation of the vegetative-productive behavior of different olive cultivars for their adaptability to high-density cultivation

In recent years, a new high-density model requiring low-vigor cultivars has been proposed for renewed olive growing. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the adaptability of Italian cultivars to high-density cultivation. The study began in 2015 in central Italy in an irrigated olive orchard with trees planted at 5×2 m. The cultivars chosen for their low vigor, compact vegetative habit and/or their high production potential were: ‘Borgiona’, ‘Don Carlo’, ‘FS17’, ‘Gentile di Anghiari’, ‘Gentile di Montone’, ‘Giulia’, ‘Leccio del Corno’, ‘Maurino’, ‘Moraiolo’, ‘Pendolino’, ‘Piantone di Falerone’ and ‘Piantone di Mogliano’. The cultivar ‘Arbequina’ was used as the reference (control). From 2020 to 2023, measurements were taken to evaluate vegetative growth, yield and oil quality. Most of the Italian cultivars had greater vegetative growth (trunk section and pruned material) than ‘Arbequina’. However, with selective pruning, it was possible to maintain the crowns of the trees within the space available. The cultivars ‘FS17’, ‘Gentile di Anghiari’, ‘Leccio del Corno’, ‘Maurino’ and ‘Piantone di Mogliano’ had a yield and production efficiency (calculated on per unit of canopy volume) similar to that of ‘Arbequina’, with ‘Leccio del Corno’ having the highest production and a production efficiency higher than that of ‘Arbequina’. In general, the Italian cultivars had oils with a higher content of phenolic substances than the reference cultivar. Moreover, they had higher oleic acid contents than those of ‘Arbequina’. Overall, the results indicate that several Italian cultivars have promise, having shown similar production behavior to ‘Arbequina’, and high oil quality. Further studies are needed for the long-term evaluation of the cultivars considered.

Nicola Cinosi won the ISHS Prof. Jens Wünsche Young Minds Award for the best poster presentation at the International Symposium on Fruit Production Systems for Sustainable and Resilient Development at EHC2024 in Romania in May 2024.

Nicola Cinosi, Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno, 74 06121 Perugia (PG), Italy, e-mail: nicola.cinosi@unipg.it

The article is available in Chronica Horticulturae

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olive
high-density
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Young Minds Award Winners