Abstract
Sustainability of olive production is possible by adopting the modern techniques of irrigation and fertilization. In Tunisia, olive trees are usually cultivated in poor soils, under semi-arid conditions characterized by water scarcity. This study investigated the effects of different water supply and fertilization on leaf water status and crop yield of three different olive oil varieties cultivated in central Tunisia, during four experimental seasons (2014–2017). Three treatments were examined: trees conducted under rainfed conditions (TRF), which represented the control treatment, trees irrigated with 50% ETc (T50) and, finally, trees irrigated with 50% ETc and with additional fertilization (T50F). Leaf water content and potential, yield and water use efficiency have been monitored on three different varieties, Chetoui, Chemlali, and Koroneiki, which are quite typical in the considered region. For all the growing seasons, midday leaf water potentials were measured from April to September. Midday leaf water potentials (MLWP) were generally higher for the two irrigated treatments (T50 and T50F) than for non-irrigated trees (TRF). As the season proceeded, MLWPs tended to decrease during summer for all the treatments and varieties. The lowest values were observed for the non-irrigated trees, varying between −3.25 MPa to −4.75 MPa. Relative leaf water content followed the same trends of midday leaf water potentials. Chetoui showed the lowest yield, which did not exceed 1530 Kg/(ha year), even for irrigated and fertilized trees. On the other hand, the yields of Chemlali and Koroneiki, cumulated in the four years, reached the maximum value of about 20 tons/ha. For these two varieties, the cumulated yield obtained in the control treatment (TRF) resulted significantly lower than the corresponding of the other two treatments (T50 and T50F). The highest irrigation water use efficiency (WUE) was estimated for Chemlali (T50) and (TRF). WUE was equal to 1.22 Kg/m3 for Koroneiki under fertigated treatment (T50F). Application of the only water supply (50% ETc) or associated with fertilizer improved the tree water status and increased the productivity of Chemlali and Koroneiki varieties.
Highlights
Olive (Olea europaea L.) is the most extensive crop in the Mediterranean basin and, with an area of about 10 million ha, is an important source of both fruit and edible oil appreciated by the consumer [1]
This study aimed to evaluate the responses in terms of water status, crop productivity and water use efficiency of different water supply and fertilization applied on three main olive oil varieties cultivated in Tunisia, Chemlali, Chetoui, and Koroneiki
Three treatments were considered: trees conducted under rainfed condition (TRF), trees irrigated with 50% ETc (T50), and trees that received 50% ETc and fertilized by diluting the fertilizer in the irrigation water (T50F)
Summary
Olive (Olea europaea L.) is the most extensive crop in the Mediterranean basin and, with an area of about 10 million ha, is an important source of both fruit and edible oil appreciated by the consumer [1]. About 98% of olive oil production is concentrated in the Mediterranean area characterized by scarce and quite variable rainfall events. Olive orchards in Tunisia have been managed under rainfed conditions and without the application of fertilizers. They are usually cultivated in poor soils and under semi-arid conditions characterized by water scarcity [2]. Modern olive orchards receive water and mineral nutrients throughout the growing season, with effects on plant growth, fruit production and oil quality [5,6,7,8,9]
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