Nutritional diagnosis norms for three olive tree cultivars in superhigh-density orchards

Abstract

The preferred olive tree cultivation strategy has evolved towards high-density cultivations to increase profitability and satisfy the global demand for olive oil. However, there is a lack of specific norms for the nutritional diagnosis of new growing systems and the varieties adapted to these systems. The objective of this study is to determine the sufficiency range and the diagnosis and recommendation integrated system and compositional nutritional diagnosis norms for Arbequina, Arbosana and Picual cultivars under superhigh-density olive tree cultivation. Leaves were sampled every fifteen days, from July to December, from high-productivity trees with production densities exceeding 8000 kg ha-1. The results show two periods of stability for the three varieties of olives: July-first two weeks of August and October-November. The three varieties showed substantial variability in their macronutrient concentrations, i.e., N, P, K, Ca and Mg, during both periods. The three aforementioned methods have improved the reliability of such diagnosis and provided concurrent diagnoses. Nevertheless, all the resulting norms need to be validated through an analysis of the results obtained in practice after their application.