Physiological Responses of Olive Trees under Different Environmental Conditions

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Response to Abiotic Stress and Climate Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 October 2024) | Viewed by 3252

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Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja (CRILAR-Provincia de La Rioja-UNLaR- SEGEMAR-UNCa-CONICET), Entre Ríos y Mendoza s/n, Anillaco 5301, La Rioja, Argentina
Interests: olive trees; global warming; irrigation; crop phenology; yield; oil quality; water use; photosynthesis; biomass

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The ability of olive trees to grow and produce adequate yields depends on a number of environmental factors such as air temperature, precipitation, air humidity, solar radiation and soil type. Evaluation of how the physiology and yield of olive trees respond to different environmental conditions is critical for both the continuing expansion of olive growing in regions outside the Mediterranean Basin and due to global climate change. Although olive trees can survive a wide range of air temperature and water availability conditions, flowering and fruit set have demonstrated high sensitivity to environmental conditions. Fruit growth and oil production are also affected. The lack of precipitation at certain times of the year can be compensated for by irrigation management strategies and other means to some degree, but physiological measurements such as stem water potential, trunk diameter fluctuations or stomatal conductance are needed for these strategies to be successful. Already high air temperatures in some regions and increasing temperatures in other areas are particularly challenging to mitigate, and information on how the phenology and physiology of specific cultivars respond to air temperature is often not available. The trend of increased plant density in new orchards, including super high density, also requires a better understanding of the role that the environment has.  In this Special Issue, all submissions that provide new and original information on olive growing and physiology under different environmental conditions will be considered.  Submissions related to the role of crop management or cultivar selection under different conditions will also be welcomed. 

Dr. María Cecilia Rousseaux
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • crop phenology
  • global climate change
  • irrigation
  • physiology
  • temperature
  • yield

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1718 KiB  
Article
Challenges of Salinity Intrusion and Drought Stress on Olive Tree Cultivation on Mljet Island
by Josip Tadić, Gvozden Dumičić, Maja Veršić Bratinčević, Sandra Vitko and Sandra Radić Brkanac
Plants 2024, 13(18), 2549; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13182549 - 11 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1337
Abstract
Understanding genotype-specific responses to environmental stressors is vital for developing resilience strategies that ensure sustainable olive cultivation and productivity. In this work, cultivar ‘Oblica’ and several olive genotypes from the island of Mljet (Croatia) were exposed to short-term (21 days) salinity and drought [...] Read more.
Understanding genotype-specific responses to environmental stressors is vital for developing resilience strategies that ensure sustainable olive cultivation and productivity. In this work, cultivar ‘Oblica’ and several olive genotypes from the island of Mljet (Croatia) were exposed to short-term (21 days) salinity and drought treatments. In contrast to other olive genotypes, genotype M29 as well as cultivar ‘Oblica’ managed to maintain growth and chlorophyll a levels under salinity stress to the same level as the control. Drought, however, significantly reduced the growth parameters in all olive trees. Cultivar ‘Oblica’ accumulated the greatest amount of Na+ ions in the leaves compared to olive genotypes from the island of Mljet, demonstrating superior resistance by translocating Na+ to leaf vacuoles. The observed reduction in K+ content in the roots of olive trees under all treatments suggests a generalized stress response. On the other hand, effective Ca2+ uptake has been identified as a crucial energy-saving strategy that olive trees use to cope with brief periods of salinity and drought. The proline content and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and guaiacol peroxidase (GPOX) varied among the olive trees, highlighting the importance of antioxidative capacities and stress adaptation mechanisms. According to the obtained results, stress-resistant olive genotypes like ‘Oblica’ and M29 show potential for breeding resilient varieties. Full article
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16 pages, 2682 KiB  
Article
Morphological and Pigment Responses to Far-Red and Photosynthetically Active Radiation in an Olive Cultivar Suitable for Super-High-Density Orchards
by Federico J. Ladux, Carina V. González, Eduardo R. Trentacoste, Peter S. Searles and M. Cecilia Rousseaux
Plants 2024, 13(13), 1822; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13131822 - 2 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1311
Abstract
Plant density is increasing in modern olive orchards to improve yields and facilitate mechanical harvesting. However, greater density can reduce light quantity and modify its quality. The objective was to evaluate plant morphology, biomass, and photosynthetic pigments under different red/far-red ratios and photosynthetically [...] Read more.
Plant density is increasing in modern olive orchards to improve yields and facilitate mechanical harvesting. However, greater density can reduce light quantity and modify its quality. The objective was to evaluate plant morphology, biomass, and photosynthetic pigments under different red/far-red ratios and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) combinations in an olive cultivar common to super-high-density orchards. In a greenhouse, young olive trees (cv. Arbequina) were exposed to low (L) or high (H) PAR with or without lateral FR supplementation (L+FR, L-FR, H+FR, H-FR) using neutral-density shade cloth and FR light-emitting diode (LED) modules. Total plant and individual organ biomass were much lower in plants under low PAR than under high PAR, with no response to +FR supplementation. In contrast, several plant morphological traits, such as main stem elongation, individual leaf area, and leaf angle, did respond to both low PAR and +FR. Total chlorophyll content decreased with +FR when PAR was low, but not when PAR was high (i.e., a significant FR*PAR interaction). When evaluating numerous plant traits together, a greater response to +FR under low PAR than under high PAR appeared to occur. These findings suggest that consideration of light quality in addition to quantity facilitates a fuller understanding of olive tree responses to a light environment. The +FR responses found here could lead to changes in hedgerow architecture and light distribution within the hedgerow. Full article
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