Abstract
BackgroundThe effect of the ethephon application at fruit set and veraison on cell maturity of Olea europaea L. olives and on the extractability of phenolic compounds (PC) in virgin olive oil has been studied.MethodsThe ethephon was sprayed on olive trees of the Moroccan Picholine at the fruit set stage and on other olive trees at the veraison stage at a concentration of 100 mg/L. The effect of these treatments was evaluated by the fruit yield and the determination of the period of olives growth and ripening. The extractability of the olive oil and the diffusion of the PCs in the fat as well as the embrittlement of the parietal structures are also monitored.Results and conclusionsA chemical thinning is entrained out by ethephon when applied at fruit set (16%) or veraison (12%). It also results in precocious ripening of fruits treated at fruit set (about 2 weeks) and a precocity of the harvest similar to that induced in olives treated at veraison (estimated at 6 weeks). At this stage, a significant increase in the fat accumulation (more than 26 g/100 g in the olives treated compared to 7.7 g/100 g olive pulp in the control) and quantities of extracted oils (87 and 83%, respectively, in the olives treated at fruit set and those treated at veraison compared to 70% in the control) as well as a significant improvement in the extractability of the diffusible PCs in these oils at maturity (540 and 590 mg/kg, respectively, in the treated olives at fruit set and those treated at veraison compared to 216 mg/kg in the control oil).
Highlights
The effect of the ethephon application at fruit set and veraison on cell maturity of Olea europaea L. olives and on the extractability of phenolic compounds (PC) in virgin olive oil has been studied
Treatment of olive trees Two treatments with ethephon at 100 mg/L were carried out by spraying before sunrise during the development and the growth of olives. The trees of this experiment were divided into three lots of 12 trees each: the first was treated with ethephon at fruit set; the second was treated with ethephon at the veraison; and the third and the third untreated as a control
Determination of the period of growth, maturation, and agronomic indexes during the ripening of the olives treated with ethephon Influence of ethephon on the period of growth and maturation of the olives Table 1 shows the influence of the application of ethephon on Moroccan Picholine olive trees to fruit set and veraison
Summary
The effect of the ethephon application at fruit set and veraison on cell maturity of Olea europaea L. olives and on the extractability of phenolic compounds (PC) in virgin olive oil has been studied. Recent studies on thinning olives using ethephon (ethylene-releasing product) have shown that it can induce precocious pigmentation of drupes when pulverized just after fruit set [8]. Ethylene-releasing chemicals cause the precocious ripening of climacteric fruits, both attached and detached, but only if they are treated during the pre-climacteric period [9]. It causes precocious ripening of non-climacteric fruits (i.e., cherries and grapes) when applied only a few days before normal ripening [10,11,12,13]
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