Olive tree cultivation in new warmer areas and climate change have increased the global interest in understanding how air temperature affects both fruit growth and oil accumulation. The aims of this study were to evaluate the rate and duration of fruit growth and oil accumulation in response to experimental warming (+3) in a semiarid region of Argentina; and assess how warming affected fatty acid composition. Young, potted olive trees (cvs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Tocopherols and sterols are minor components of virgin olive oils that contribute to oil quality. Based on observations at different geographical locations, it has been suggested that environmental temperature during fruit growth affects tocopherol and sterol oil concentrations in olive fruit. However, controlled experiments have not been conducted to directly assess their responses to temperature.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite the economic importance of long-lived crop species in the Mediterranean Basin and their expansion to new warmer regions, their potential responses to prolonged temperature increases have not been adequately addressed. The objectives of this study were to: (i) assess leaf gas exchange responses to prolonged elevated temperature in young olive trees; (ii) evaluate some additional leaf traits such as stomatal density and size under these same conditions; and (iii) determine whether photosynthetic acclimation to temperature was apparent. A field experiment with two temperature levels was conducted using well-irrigated, potted olive trees (cvs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlobal warming will likely lead to temperature increases in many regions of South America where temperatures are already considered to be high for olive production. Thus, experimental studies are needed to assess how water use in olive trees may be affected by global warming. The objectives of this study were to (i) evaluate the response of olive tree sap flow, stomatal conductance, and xylem anatomy to elevated temperature and (ii) determine whether fruit load may affect the temperature responses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOlive ( L.) is a crop well adapted to the environmental conditions prevailing in the Mediterranean Basin. Nevertheless, the increasing international demand for olive oil and table olives in the last two decades has led to expansion of olive cultivation in some countries of the southern hemisphere, notably in Argentina, Chile, Perú and Australia.
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