The composition of the essential oils of 16 individual plants of Artemisia herba-alba Asso ssp. valentina (Lam.) Marcl. (at the full bloom stage) growing wild in four different locations from southern Spain were investigated by capillary GC and GC-MS in combination with retention indices. Among the 60 identified constituents (accounting for 80.6-95.0% of the oils), 33 have been reported for the first time in Spanish A. herba-alba oil and 17 of them have not been previously described in A. herba-alba oil. From the analysis of the oil samples, it could be deduced that a noticeable chemical polymorphism typified this taxon. Four groups of essential oils exhibited a single compound with percentages near 30% or higher: davanone, 1,8-cineole, chrysanthenone and cis-chrysanthenol. Two further oil types showed p-cymene and cis-chrysanthenyl acetate as major components in moderate amounts (ca. 20%). All of these types of essential oils have not been previously found in A. herba-alba from Spain and the appearance of such considerable amount of p-cymene is described here for the first time in A. herba-alba. #

No abstract

Olive oil is a major economic resource of the Mediterranean region. Olive crop management can be improved by models that forecast the variable reproductive biology of olive tree. However, the processes controlling olive harvest are complex on large scales. Here, we study the parameters that influence olive fruit production for developing accurate forecasting models. Seventeen aerobiological sampling points have monitored olive pollen grains in Spain, Italy and Tunisia from 1993 to 2012. Six crop models have been developed at two provinces and country scales. The modelling has been done in two steps: (1) typification and (2) modelling by partial least square regression. Results show that higher pollen indexes and water availability during spring are related to an increase of final fruit production in all the studied area. Higher pollen indexes are also positively correlated with air temperature during early spring and autumn. Furthermore, a decrease of fruit production is related with increasing air temperature during winter and summer. To conclude, we have designed accurate models that allow accurate predictions of olive production.

Background: Olea europaea pollen is an important cause of seasonal allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma in southern Spain. For patients allergic to grass pol– len the critical concentration of airborn pollen is 50 grains/m³, but in the case of Olea pollinosis no data is available. Methods: Fifty–six seasonal allergic rhinitis patients (29 in 1994 and 27 in 1995) were included in this study, all of whom lived in Jaen. Daily symptom card were filled in and pollen counts during May and June were performed in both years. A linear regression model was used for analysis of the airborne pollen concentration and the symptom score. Results: Significant correlations among daily counts of Olea pollen and rhinitis symptoms were obtained. Most of our monosensitized patients needed a high Olea pollen concentration in the atmosphere (around 400 grains/m³) to suffer at least from mild allergic rhinitis symptoms. Conclusion: Local conditions with a wide area dedicated to olive tree cultivars result in a high concentration of this pollen in the atmosphere. Monosensitized Olea patients in our area seem to need exceptionally high levels to suffer from allergic symptoms.

Phenological and aerobiological studies provide important information regarding the reproductive biology of cultivated species such as the olive. This article presents the results of an exploratory study of the floral phenology of Olea europaea L. at different altitudes in Jaén province (SE Spain) and an analysis of the main meteorological factors affecting flowering. As well, this study aimed to detect the relationship between phenology and olive pollen emission as a means of interpreting Olea pollen curves in the city of Jaén. Phenological observations were performed on olive trees at six sites, each at different altitudes and distributed over the whole area of olive cultivation in the province. Pollen data were obtained using a Hirst-type volumetric spore trap located within the city of Jaén. Phenological and aerobiological data were recorded in 2006 and 2007. This study shows that the chronology of the start of the flowering period depends on altitude. Statistical analyses indicate that the temperature, humidity, cumulative rainfall and cumulative solar radiation are the meteorological parameters that most affect olive floral phenology. The pollen season in Jaén generally lasts from May to June, with an annual total emission of over 40,000 pollen grains, the highest annual level of olive pollen emission in the world. The airborne pollen concentrations recorded in the city of Jaén are above all influenced by the olive groves located in the Guadalquivir valley.

No abstract

Abstract.-The survey deals with juniper groves of Juniperus oxycedrus, i. e. the edaphoxerophilous communities dominated by J. oxycedrus subsp. oxycedrus and J. oxycedrus subsp. lagunae in the centre and south of the Iberian Peninsula. The study of the vegetation has been carried out using the phytosociological method, complemented by a multivariate analysis to statistically process both bibliographical and field relevés. As a result, a new phytosociological alliance (Juniperion oxycedro-lagunae) encompassing four new associations (Pistacio terebinthi-Juniperetum lagunae, Stipo tenacissimae-Juniperetum lagunae, Echinosparto iberici-Juniperetum lagunae and Cytiso eriocarpi-Juniperetum lagunae) and the community of Phlomis purpurea and J. oxycedrus subsp. lagunae is proposed. These juniper groves are plant formations of general interest for the European Union and exhibit interesting endemic flora and vegetation.Key words : edaphoxerophilous communities -juniper groves -multivariate analysis -phytosociology -syntaxonomy.

The aim of the present study was to develop pheno-meteorological models to explain and forecast the main olive flowering phenological phases within the Mediterranean basin, across a latitudinal and longitudinal gradient that includes Tunisia, Spain, and Italy. To analyze the aerobiological sampling points, study periods from 13 years (1999-2011) to 19 years (1993-2011) were used. The forecasting models were constructed using partial least-squares regression, considering both the flowering start and full-flowering dates as dependent variables. The percentages of variance explained by the full-flowering models (mean 84 %) were greater than those explained by the flowering start models (mean 77 %). Moreover, given the time lag from the North African areas to the central Mediterranean areas in the main olive flowering dates, the regional full-flowering predictive models are proposed as the most useful to improve the knowledge of the influence of climate on the olive tree floral phenology. The meteorological parameters related to the previous autumn and both the winter and the spring seasons, and above all the temperatures, regulate the reproductive phenology of olive trees in the Mediterranean area. The mean anticipation of flowering start and full flowering for the future period from 2081 to 2100 was estimated at 10 and 12 days, respectively. One question can be raised: Will the olive trees located in the warmest areas be northward displaced or will they be able to adapt their physiology in response to the higher temperatures? The present study can be considered as an approach to design more detailed future bioclimate research.