Infuence of the rehydration period on yield quality and harvest performance in Manzanilla de Sevilla super high‑density olive orchards

Abstract

Super-high density olive orchards may increase proftability for table olive producers. However, water needs and fruit dam age could limit their viability. Defcit irrigation scheduling would reduce the amount of water required, but rehydration before harvest is extremely important. The aim of this work was to compare a typical defcit farm management model with a regulated defcit irrigation one based on the plant water status. The experiment was carried out during three seasons in a three years-old (4×1.5 m) commercial table olive orchard. In both irrigation scheduling plots, seasonal amount of applied water was similar. Irrigation treatments were: common farm management (CFM), an almost constant rate of irrigation, and Regulated defcit (RDI) based on midday shaded water potential. Vegetative measurements suggested that RDI increased the external surface of the hedge, and this was related with greater yield in this treatment. Signifcant diferences were found in of fruit size at harvest in some seasons, with larger fruits in RDI compared to CFM. However, fruit damage occurred during mechanical harvest in both irrigation managements, despite the higher skin frmness in RDI, and shows the need to carry out postharvest treatments to improve the quality of the fnal product. Accurate control of the tree water status would allow optimizing the amount of water available for table olive orchards.