ISHS Acta Horticulturae 586: IV International Symposium on Olive Growing
RELATIONSHIP AMONG FLOWERING, FRUITFULNESS AND CROP IN 'MANZANILLA DE SEVILLA' OLIVES |
| Authors: | M. Ramírez-Santa Pau, C. Navarro, L. Rallo |
| Keywords: | Olive tree, flowering, fruitfulness, crop. |
| Abstract:
6 trees of ‘Manzanilla de Sevilla’ were chosen for any of 5 visual classes of flowering (1 - very low; 5 - very high). Fifteen flowering shoots were randomly selected within the canopy of each tree and inflorescences per node, inflorescences with pistillate flowers per node, fruit set, fruit load and fruit dry weight were recorded. The percentage of one year flowering shoots within 7-year-old scaffold, trunk perimeter, canopy volume and crop were also recorded in each tree. Flowering classes resulted to be the major factor in determining fruit set and crop, and explain as much as 81% (R2=0.81) of the crop variability among trees. More precise and time consuming records of flowering (percentage of flowering shoots, average inflorescences per node, trunk perimeter and canopy volume) did not significantly improve the prediction of cropping (R2=0.83). Compensation mechanisms for the sequential processes within the reproductive cycle were also observed. Thus, high flowering rates were associated to low levels of fruit set and small fruit size and low flowering rates were associated to high levels of fruit set and high fruit weight. Fruit load was constant within each flowering class. There were no differences either in trunk perimeter or in canopy volume among the trees, therefore differences in crop among trees were determined by their flowering status. | |
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