Effects of root constriction on vegetative growth and yield efficiency in young trees of a low- and a high-vigor olive cultivar

Paoletti, Andrea; Cinosi, Nicola; Lodolini, E.M.; Famiani, Franco; Rosati, A.

doi:10.1007/s00468-023-02416-2

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Taking into account this four-year productivity period (two full fruiting cycles) proved instrumental in accommodating the inherent variability in olive tree productivity and provided us with a more comprehensive perspective on how external stressors influence this cyclical pattern. Stressors such as the phloem shoot-to-root flow depression attributed to wood decay [136] lead to specific adaptive responses involving resource allocation strategies directing the available nutrients toward non-productive structures [137,138], inevitably leading to decreased productivity [52].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking Thermal Indices, Productivity, Phenotypic Traits, and Stressors for Assessing the Health of Centennial Traditional Olive Trees

Zevgolis,

Kouris,

Christopoulos

et al. 2023

Applied Sciences

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Centennial olive trees, integral components of traditional Mediterranean agroecosystems, hold immense value as repositories of biodiversity and cultural heritage due to their physiological attributes and life history, making them crucial for the conservation of High Nature Value ancient olive orchards. However, they are increasingly confronted with physiological challenges exacerbated by various biotic and abiotic stressors jeopardizing their health and productivity, underscoring the urgency for ongoing monitoring and conservation measures to secure their long-term existence. To monitor these challenges, in recent years, the adoption of non-invasive techniques like infrared thermography (IRT) has become prevalent. In this study, we aimed to comprehensively assess the health state of traditional centennial olive trees, with a particular focus on their productivity. To achieve this, we monitored 44 centennial olive trees from a traditional olive grove on the island of Naxos, Greece, a representative location for Mediterranean olive groves, during the period from 2017 to 2020. We established connections between a set of trunk and canopy thermal and humidity indices, phenotypic traits, and the two most prevalent stressors affecting olive trees not only within the context of the island but also more broadly in similar Mediterranean environments worldwide: the olive leaf spot disease (OLS) and crop water stress, assessed through the crop water stress index (CWSI). To evaluate their interrelationships, we initially assessed intraspecific thermal and humidity pattern variations, and we developed linear and logistic regression models to gain insights into the factors influencing olive tree productivity, water stress, and the OLS presence. Results indicated that combining thermal and humidity indices can substantially explain olive tree productivity, water stress, and OLS, providing a valuable tool for assessing and monitoring the health and overall state of centennial olive trees, while offering a comprehensive approach to understanding the complex interactions shaping traditional olive grove dynamics. By identifying key indicators such as tree thermal patterns and water stress levels, olive growers and conservationists can make informed decisions to enhance the vitality and longevity of these culturally and ecologically significant trees.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking Thermal Indices, Productivity, Phenotypic Traits, and Stressors for Assessing the Health of Centennial Traditional Olive Trees

Zevgolis,

Kouris,

Christopoulos

et al. 2023

Applied Sciences

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“…Thus, agronomical practices reducing vigor are unlikely to increase yield efficiency. In fact, using root constriction techniques, while reducing tree growth and size in olive, does not improve fruiting efficiency, leaving cultivar differences in fruiting efficiency unaltered ( Paoletti et al., 2023 ). Therefore, in olive, while removing fruit increases vigor, reducing vigor through agronomical practices does not increase fruiting, suggesting that abundant fruiting is the cause and not the consequence of low vigor.…”

Section: Tree Architecturementioning

confidence: 99%

Cultivar ideotype for intensive olive orchards: plant vigor, biomass partitioning, tree architecture and fruiting characteristics

Rosati,

Paoletti,

Lodolini

et al. 2024

Front. Plant Sci.

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In order to achieve higher and earlier yield, modern olive orchards are increasingly intensified, with tree densities up to > 1500 trees hectare-1. With increasing tree densities, individual-tree canopy volume must be proportionally reduced. Not all cultivars are adaptable to high and very high orchard densities, because of excessive vigor and/or insufficient bearing when the canopy is pruned to a small volume. However, what makes an olive cultivar suitable for intensive and super intensive orchards is not clear. Recently, few studies have addressed this topic, suggesting that tree architecture and early bearing are essential traits. Yet, what architectural and productive features are important, how they work and whether they are interrelated remains elusive. This review summarizes and interprets the literature on olive, as well as the more abundant literature available for other fruit species, aiming to provide a comprehensive knowledge framework for understanding how tree architectural characteristics, plant vigor, and fruiting vary across olive genotypes, and how they are interconnected. It is concluded that, among the architectural characteristics, greater branching and smaller diameters of woody structures are particularly important features for cultivar suitability to intensive and super intensive olive orchards. Greater branching allows to produce more fruiting sites in the small volume of canopy allowed in these systems. It also reduces investments in woody structures, liberating resources for fruiting. Additional resources are liberated with smaller structure diameters. Greater branching also increases resources by increasing biomass partitioning into leaves (i.e. the photosynthetic organs), relative to wood. Since yield is affected by the competition for resources with vegetative growth, reducing resource investments in woody structures and/or increasing resource directly, increases yield. Yield, in turn, depresses vegetative growth, reducing vigor and the need for pruning. High yields also produce short shoots which have relatively greater investments in leaf mass and area, and lower in the woody stem, making them more suitable than long shoots to support concurrent fruit growth. This single framework of interpretation of how the different architectural and fruiting characteristics work and interact with one-another, will provide guidance for cultivar selection and breeding for intensive and super intensive olive orchards.

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Seasonal changes and spatial distribution of citrus fine roots in different rootstocks

Zheng,

Gao,

Luo

et al. 2024

Scientia Horticulturae

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Effects of root constriction on vegetative growth and yield efficiency in young trees of a low- and a high-vigor olive cultivar

Cited by 4 publications

References 46 publications

Linking Thermal Indices, Productivity, Phenotypic Traits, and Stressors for Assessing the Health of Centennial Traditional Olive Trees

Linking Thermal Indices, Productivity, Phenotypic Traits, and Stressors for Assessing the Health of Centennial Traditional Olive Trees

Cultivar ideotype for intensive olive orchards: plant vigor, biomass partitioning, tree architecture and fruiting characteristics

Seasonal changes and spatial distribution of citrus fine roots in different rootstocks

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