Evaluation of early vigor traits in wild olive germplasm

Abstract

The control of the olive tree vigor is a critical factor to ensure adequate production and longevity of high-density olive cultivation. To deal with this problem, we intend to take advantage of the genetic variability present in the wild subspecies of Olea europaea to identify genotypes of reduced vigor with optimal adaptability to diverse soils and adverse environmental conditions. In this work, early vigor traits have been characterized in different wild olive subspecies that could potentially be used as rootstocks to control the vigor of grafted cultivars. Significant differences between genotypes were obtained for all vigor traits and high values of broad sense heritability were obtained for most of them, indicating strong genetic effect and therefore good possibilities for selection. Compared to ‘Arbequina’ and ‘Picual’ cultivars, some of the wild genotypes evaluated showed a clearly lower vigor at the end of the experimental period. These genotypes could be tested as dwarfing rootstocks for high-density olive plantations.