Articles
High temperature negatively affects olive oil yield and quality
Article number
1446_29
Pages
209 – 218
Language
English
Abstract
Global warming has a negative effect on plant productivity due to the plant stress associated with high temperatures.
We characterized this negative effect on fruit development, and oil quantity and quality in five olive cultivars.
Olive trees from the tested cultivars were placed in one location that experience high summer temperatures and in another location with mild summer temperatures.
Fruits were sampled once a month to record their weight as well as their oil content.
At the end of the season, olive oil was extracted from each cultivar in each location and the quality was determined as a function of oleic acid concentration and polyphenol content.
The effect of a high temperature environment was found to be cultivar dependent and negatively affected fruit weight, oil concentration and oil quality.
None of the tested cultivars exhibited complete heat stress tolerance.
Fruit development and oil content of the ‘Barnea’ cultivar were not affected by the high temperature environment.
However, ‘Barnea’ oil quality decreased dramatically in the high temperatures.
The cultivars ‘Koroneiki’ and ‘Souri’ in the high temperature area, had lower fruit weight and oil concentration than those experiencing mild summers.
The cultivars ‘Coratina’ and ‘Picholine’ exhibited decreased fruit weight in the hotter climate, but their oil concentration was not affected.
The ‘Souri’ cultivar proved more tolerant to a high temperature environment and produced high oil quality even when exposed to high summer temperatures.
Elucidation of the mechanism of the various olive cultivars responses to high temperatures lead to development of a variety of olives broadly adapted to high temperatures.
We characterized this negative effect on fruit development, and oil quantity and quality in five olive cultivars.
Olive trees from the tested cultivars were placed in one location that experience high summer temperatures and in another location with mild summer temperatures.
Fruits were sampled once a month to record their weight as well as their oil content.
At the end of the season, olive oil was extracted from each cultivar in each location and the quality was determined as a function of oleic acid concentration and polyphenol content.
The effect of a high temperature environment was found to be cultivar dependent and negatively affected fruit weight, oil concentration and oil quality.
None of the tested cultivars exhibited complete heat stress tolerance.
Fruit development and oil content of the ‘Barnea’ cultivar were not affected by the high temperature environment.
However, ‘Barnea’ oil quality decreased dramatically in the high temperatures.
The cultivars ‘Koroneiki’ and ‘Souri’ in the high temperature area, had lower fruit weight and oil concentration than those experiencing mild summers.
The cultivars ‘Coratina’ and ‘Picholine’ exhibited decreased fruit weight in the hotter climate, but their oil concentration was not affected.
The ‘Souri’ cultivar proved more tolerant to a high temperature environment and produced high oil quality even when exposed to high summer temperatures.
Elucidation of the mechanism of the various olive cultivars responses to high temperatures lead to development of a variety of olives broadly adapted to high temperatures.
Publication
Authors
Y. Nissim, M. Shloberg, I. Biton, Y. Many, A. Doron-Faigenboim, H.H.R. Zemach, B. Avidan, G. Ben-Ari
Keywords
oil quality, global warming, oil concentration, polyphenol, heat stress, cultivars
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