This paper describes the phenological growth stages of olive trees using the BBCH (Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt, Chemische Industrie) scale. Eight principal growth stages for bud, leaf and shoot development, inflorescence emergence, flowering, fruit development, fruit maturity and senescence and 32 secondary growth stages are described. Advantages of the BBCH scale over other methods are discussed.

Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) was used to study diversity within and among Spanish olive varieties. A high degree of diversity was found among the varieties present in each growing region. Olive oil production and quality relies on appropriate cultivar selection as well as good orchard management. Production based only on a few superior cultivars would result in improved yield, oil quality, and production management. Amplified fragment length polymorphism were evaluated as a tool to identify the intraspecific and intravarietal diversity of olive. Amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis of 38 accessions belonging to 10 cultivars using six primer combinations produced 106 polymorphic bands. Results were analyzed for similarity among accessions via unweighted pair‐group means cluster analysis, resulting in 10 clusters corresponding to named variety designations. Similarity among varieties ranged from 0.60 to 0.72. Diversity within varieties was identified. Similarity within named varieties (accessions with the same varietal name) ranged from 0.75 to 0.96. Differences in several markers were found among 34 accessions. Intravarietal diversity was shown to exist within the Spanish olive varieties grown in the region surrounding Valencia.

Forty olive (Olea europaea L.) cultivars from Valencia, Spain, were screened using random amplified-polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Eighteen selected decamer primers produced 34 reproducible amplification fragments that were then used as polymorphic markers. The resulting combinations of these RAPD markers were used to discriminate 40 cultivars. Results were analyzed for similarity among cultivars and the relatedness of polymorphisms obtained between cultivars agreed with previous results using isozymes. Unweighted pair group method cluster analysis of their similarity values revealed two main groups divided according to geographic origin within Valencia. A third group, which included two Spanish cultivars from regions outside of Valencia, was clustered separately from the Valencian cultivars. RAPD technology proved useful in discriminating closely related cultivars. There was no apparent clustering of cultivars by fruit size or other morphological traits.