TITLE:
Sprouts seasonal elongation of two olive cultivars in a high-density orchard
AUTHORS:
G. Strippoli, G. A. Vivaldi, S. Camposeo, F. Contò
KEYWORDS:
Arbequina; Coratina; Proleptic Axis; Sylleptic Axis; Growth Flux
JOURNAL NAME:
Agricultural Sciences,
Vol.4 No.8,
August
9,
2013
ABSTRACT: The new high-density cropping systems (>1200 trees ha-1) represent a very interesting proposal for olive orchard profitability.
It is crucial to know the morphology and the dynamics of sprout elongation of a
cultivar in order to fully assess its suitability for a high-density olive
orchard. For this reason we planned a research on two cultivars, Coratina and
Arbequina, in a high-density orchard. The apical sprouts elongation of
Arbequina early stopped at fruit set without a further step, while Coratina
showed a little growth flux after pit hardening. Similar trends showed the
lateral proleptic sprouts. Only the sylleptic sprouts of both cultivars had a
second period of activity. In all cases, the sprouts elongation finished at the
end of summer, when oil accumulation started. Coratina showed higher apical shoot
growth and internodes mean length than Arbequina. On the contrary, Coratina
showed lower lateral proleptic shoot growth and nodes number than Arbequina,
but the same internodes mean length. No significant differences were observed
between cultivars for growth, nodes number and internodes mean length of
sylleptic shoots. The differences observed between the two cultivars could be
explained considering their different vigour. The introduction of this
innovative cropping system is allowed to register a considerable reduction of
production costs. The result is a considerable increase in the economic
performance of the olive grove and a consequent reduction in the unit cost for
kg of oil. These data are very useful for varietal choice and field management
in high-density orchards and then for new olive breeding programs.