Effect of killing the seed on return bloom of olive

Improvement in yield and fruit size and quality of the main Italian table olive cultivar 'Nocellara del Belice'

“…Proietti (2000) reported no clear correlation between heavy fruit load and photosynthesis effi ciency, concluding that the depletion of carbohydrate reserves during an "on" year could negatively infl uence new leaves and thus fl ower bud formation. However, Bustan et al (2011) recently showed that carbohydrate surplus or defi ciency cannot be considered the cause of olive alternate bearing, thus, this phenomenon is probably regulated by hormonal factors (Stutte and Martin 1986;Ulger et al, 2004;Dag et al, 2009Dag et al, , 2010. On the whole, carbohydrate resources fl uctuate in response to sharp changes in source-sink relationships in the tree throughout the season playing a role in olive survival strategy (Bustan et al, 2011).…”

“…In table olive (Olea europaea L.), heavy crop loads result in small fruit of lesser value, late maturity, poor quality ultimately leading to depressed prices (Martin et al, 1980). Moreover, excessive crop loads and excessive numbers of developing seeds decrease or inhibit fl owerbud formation which can contribute to the biennial production pattern (Dag et al, 2010;Fernandez-Escobar et al, 1992;Lavee, 1989Lavee, , 2007Stutte and Martin, 1986).…”

Microclimatic-induced fluctuations in the flower and pollen production rate of olive trees (Olea europaeaL.)

“…Two main reasons can probably explain this, as there are the inhibition of floral induction as a result of fruit presence on the tree and the probable action of gibberellins synthesised inside the seeds (Stutte & Martin, 1986;Fernandez-Escobar et al, 1992), and, as has been revealed in this research, the effect of meteorological variables on the formation of racemes on the tree, in particular, the average minimum temperature in February, the month when the swelling of the meristematic bulge and floral differentiation usually take place in most olive tree varieties (Mehri & Kamoun-Mehri, 1995;Barranco et al, 2008). …”

Relationship between reproductive behavior and new shoot development in 5-year-old branches of olive trees (Olea europaea L.)

“…However assimilate level and morphology only partially determine alternate bearing behavior, which is influenced by a complex combination of regulatory and nutritional factors still not fully understood (Costes et al 2006;Lavee 1996). A major limitation to flowering in the following season is the abundant presence of fruits (Almeida 1940;Cimato and Fiorino 1986;Ramos et al 2000), and, more specifically, compounds originating in the developing seed which appear to inhibit floral induction (Fernández-Escobar et al 1992;Stutte and Martin 1986). Studies of olive buds to determine the factors which regulate olive flower induction, initiation and differentiation (De la Rosa et al 2000;Fabbri and Alerci 1999;Pinney and Polito 1990) also tend, however, in line with the above-mentioned experimental approach, to choose predefined individual shoots, potentially biasing the results and losing an overall view of tree behavior.…”