VARIABILITY AND CLASSIFICATION OF OLIVE CULTIVARS BY FRUIT WEIGHT, FLESH/STONE RATIO AND OIL PERCENTAGE

The weight, flesh/stone ratio and oil yield of 112 cultivars planted in the Olive World Germplasm Bank of CIFA “Alameda del Obispo”, Córdoba, Spain in 1987 have been evaluated since 1989/90 to 1996-97. Fruit weight varied from 1 to 10.4 g, with a mean value of 4 g and flesh/stone ratio from 4 to 1.7, with an average of 7.2. Dry matter fruit oil percentage was from 24 to 60%, with a mean of 45%. Observed intervals of variation are very wide, but cultivars of medium to small values of fruit size (4.8-1.6), flesh/stone ratio (7.7 to 4.7) and dry matter oil percentage (48.5 to 34.5%) do predominate.
Fruit of bigger size show a higher flesh/stone ratio (r = 0.7**), although the relationship between these two parameters and the whole fruit oil percentage may be very variable (r = 4). Data of the 112 cultivars is shown, classified into five categories as for their fruit dry matter oil percentage.

V International Symposium on Olive Growing

C. Del Río, J.M. Caballero

Olea europaea, germplasm, olive fruit quality, olive oil yield

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2008.791.2