FOREWORD

The currently available technology for olive growing, which is the topic of the Symposium, is limited by our lack of knowledge in plant biology and on manipulation of the olive plant for our uses. Most of the Mediterranean countries, where more than 95% of the olive industry is located, are not sufficiently concerned with scientific development. Some data illustrate this fact. The 1988 issues of Horticultural Abstracts, which references a total of 3 172 papers specifically dealing with fruit species, including 523 abstracts on apple, 265 on citrus, 426 on grapes, shows but only 71 on olive. Moreover, out of a total of 1 711 communications presented at the International Horticultural Congress held in Davis, California (USA) in 1986, only 14 dealt with olives

These data document the enormous contrast in published knowledge that exists between the olive and other fruit crops cultivated in leading scientific countries. By contrast; new oil crops from other genera have developed in recent years as a result of a concerted scientific and technological effort. Therefore, whereas, for example, most of the main olive cultivars were selected in and propagated from random populations of wild olives more than five hundred years ago, current sunflower cultivars have only recently been obtained and are continuously being changed as a result of the many breeding programs supported by public and private efforts all over the world. In spite of this, the ecological adaptation of the olive to its area of production makes it the most efficient oil-producing system in many Mediterranean regions. As well, both the recently documented ability of olive oil to alleviate cardiovascular disease incidence and the increasing market for table olives -and even for olive oil in certain areas- provide a great opportunity to fasten the needed technological innovation in this crop.

Therefore the main purpose of this I International Symposium on Olive Growing, jointly organized by the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) and the Sociedad Española de Ciencias Horticolas (SECH), is to initiate a permanent and regularly scheduled forum that encourages and facilitates scientific interchanges on this crop. This volume of Acta Horticulturae contains 6 invited and 98 contributed papers presented in Córdoba (Spain). It also includes the concluding remarks of the Symposium, among which is the announcement of holding the II Symposium in Israel in 1993.

Some of the papers announced in the Symposium program are not published here because they were not finally presented or their authors did not submit the manuscripts. Other papers are neither included due to important shortcomings on Acta requirements, namely excesive number of pages that could not be abreviated by editing, only figures and tables presented without text, etc. Some others required for relevant editing, not only in the text but also on tables and figures. Moreover the typing rules were not accomplished in some cases. All those circumstances lead the editors to retype all the papers, redraw some of the figures, and partially modify the structure of some tables. The time to meet this task has delayed the issue of the book.

The organizers wish finally to aknowledge the contribution not only of the authors, but of the many public and private agencies that ensured the celebration of this Syposium. Especially the FAO Cooperative Research Network on Olives for the important cooperation provided since the beginning of the Symposium organization till publishing this volume. The International Olive Oil Council and the International Center for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic studies also deserve especial acknowledgment for their important financial support. The Dirección General de Investigación y Extensión Agrarias of the Andalusian Government has afforded for the printing of this issue of Acta Horticulture.

Luis Rallo
Juan M. Caballero
Ricardo Fernández-Escobar


CONCLUDING REMARKS

The attendants to the I International Symposium on Olive Growing held at Córdoba, Spain, 26–29 September 1989 expressed their satisfaction for the celebration of this meeting under the rules of the ISHS. They considered that the absence of regular interchanges between research workers on olive have limited up to date the advances of the scientific knowledge and the technical practices in this important crop.

One hundred and ninety three scientists and technologes from 21 countries and three international organizations attended the Symposium. One hundred and nineteen papers authored by scientists were presented as invited conferences (6), oral (39) and poster (80) contributed papers. However the even distribution of attendants and topics evidenced the need of a more generalized scientific involvement of the olive producing countries.

The 119 papers presented were distributed as follows: breeding and propagation (33), fruiting control (21), orchard management (21), plant protection (17), harvesting (11), quality, marketing and economics (11), by-products and residues (5).

The sessions of the Symposium evidenced the need for new systems of production in olive, that take advantage of the ecological adaptation of the plant to the environment of semiarid Mediterranean climate. The crisis of many olive producing areas of the world is due to many different causes. However some majors identified factors were: a) the concurrence of more economical production systems on other oil crops -the massive plantation of palm oil in tropical areas may aggravate the future of the olive oil- and b) the insufficiency of scientific knowledge, experimental data and technological transfer to modify the traditional, old and low efficient systems currently used by many growers.

In order to change the systems of production in olive the following specific needs for research were identified:

Breeding and Propagation. New cultivars for more economical orchards are needed. Oil content and quality, adaptability to mechanization, tolerance to drought or adaptability to irrigation, minimal alternate bearing and resistance to main pests and diseases, namely those of leaf and roots, are the main goals to be reached. Shortening of the juvenile period and efficient methods of breeding and propagation, including micropropagation and tissue culture, have to be emphasized.

Fruiting Control. New fundamental research is needed to approach the fruit population control in order to avoid or modulate the alternate bearing. Physiological studies of the main processes of the reproductive cycle and of the sink-source relationships require much more attention.

Orchard management. More accurate information is needed on the relationships between the plant population and the orchard environment in order to define a more efficient system of production. Relationships between orchard density, size, shape and bearing area of the tree and of the orchard canopies, and between those and limiting environmental factors (light, water stress, nutrient availability and use) are necessary for an efficient orchard management.

Harvesting. The main objective remains to optimize the functionality of the shakers considering both the mechanical aspects and the shape of the tree. The necessity to define the parameters for mechanical harvesting application were established.

Plant Protection. It is necessary to intensify basic studies and to determine practical procedure to apply integrated pest and disease management. The integrated approach to plant protection appeared as a need for a more economical management and residues-free olive and oil production.

Quality, marketing and economics. The future of olives and olive oil production seems to be linked to the marketing of high quality products. The need for studies on parameters defining the olive oil organoleptic, dietary and health qualities of cultivars and their modification by cultural practices was established. Quality has to be the major concern not only in the transformation processes but also in the production systems.

By-products and residues. The works presented have emphasized some uses of waste waters as fertilizer to avoid pollution. Studies of alternative uses of olive orchards and oil processing by-products for consumption, animal feed, energy source, fertilizer and industrial production of different products are opening new economical incomes for both the farm and the oil processing industries. However the pollution by waste water remain the main problem to be solved.

The attendants agreed on the necessity to establish meetings on olive on regular and more frequent schedule than up to date. Thus they agreed on celebrating the II International Symposium on Olive Growing in Israel in 1993. Prof. S. Lavee will be the Convener. The proposal will be done to the ISHS by the Working Group on Olive, through the Fruit Section. An alternative in order to ensure the celebration of the meeting will be Florence. In this eventuality Prof. P. Fiorino would be in charge.

The holding of other type of scientific meetings in between the Symposia, as announced by the European Cooperative Research Network on Olives, was considered of paramount importance to complete the exchange of information among the olive scientific community.