Yellow Wild Olives (Olea Europaea L. Subsp. Oleaster) From Western Turkey

Abstract

The wild olive (O. europaea L. subsp. oleaster) is widely distributed along the coastal zones of Anatolia (Asia Minor). The Aegean Region (Western Anatolia) in particular has a rich olive population, including genuine wild individuals as well as feral forms. Oleaster olives in situ, which have diverse morphological and pomological characteristics, differ from cultivated olives. The ripe olive fruit has a purple-black color because of the accumulation of anthocyanin. As in cultivated olives, the yellow color in ripe fruits of the oleaster olive is unusual. This yellow color in ripe fruits of oleaster olives has not been reported so far. Thus it is potentially significant for further breeding strategies. This paper assesses the morphological characteristics of two oleaster ecotypes (YO1 and YO2) with yellow fruits that were coincidentally located in the Đzmir Province. Significant differences are found between the two ecotypes both in terms of their quantitative characteristics as well as the oil content of their fruit. Fruit weight (1.2 g), length (15.5 mm), width (11.2 mm) and percentage of oil in dry weight (15.7%) are significantly higher in YO1. Apart from the differences between the quantitative stone characteristics, the stone morphology and surface texture are also considerably different. Besides potential agronomic considerations, they both have high potential for use as ornamental trees.