Abstract
The usefulness of portable near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy as a simple and efficient method to determine some of the main selection traits in olive breeding is evaluated in this work. Calibration models were developed and evaluated using partial least squares (PLS) regression from samples collected in different selection steps of the breeding work and under different experimental conditions. The results showed that accurate enough models (values of correlation between actual and predicted constituent higher than 0.9) were obtained for oil and moisture content in both crossvalidation and prediction results. Portable NIR spectroscopy could be used for selection of genotypes on the basis of these characters, providing similar ranking of genotypes than reference methods both in different selection steps of the breeding process (progenies and selection plots) and different experimental conditions (on-tree or under laboratory conditions). The advantages of this technique to improve the efficiency of the evaluation process in olive breeding programs are discussed.
Highlights
The analytical characteristics of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy offer the possibility of a rapid and nondestructive analysis, without sample preparation neither the use of chemical reagents, which make this technique attractive as alternative to traditional, tedious and more time-consuming analytical methods
A wide variability was obtained for both oil and moisture content with an overall range of variation from 4.56 to 33.7% for oil content and 34.41 to 70.11% for moisture
Wild olives are characterized by extremely low oil content, which expand the range of variation for this character in calibration samples
Summary
The analytical characteristics of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy offer the possibility of a rapid and nondestructive analysis, without sample preparation neither the use of chemical reagents, which make this technique attractive as alternative to traditional, tedious and more time-consuming analytical methods. High yield and oil content are some of the main objectives of the breeding program (León et al, 2007). Several comparative field trials steps are sequentially carried out with selected genotypes. A high number of samples must be analyzed every year for some general characters such as oil and moisture contents evaluated in all the steps of the selection procedure. The possibility of a rapid and simultaneous non-destructive analysis of intact olive fruits and, cost and labor savings compared with running slow chemical analyses, make NIR a potential useful tool for selection. Like in other fruit species, the length of the juvenile period and the necessary evaluation of large number of genotypes have been traditionally considered the main drawbacks and the reasons for the limited efforts for breeding carried out until recently. Several works allow the development of methodologies to shorten the juvenile period (Lavee et al, 1996; Santos-Antunes et al, 2005), but there is still a need for fast and cheap analytical procedures to determine the agronomic traits of interest
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
