Effect of supplemental pollination, boron spray and cultivar on fruit quality and quantity of olive (Olea europaea L.)‎

Abstract EN

This study was conducted during the 2020-2021 growing season at the orchard of Horticulture Department, College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences, University of Sulaimani, Bakrajo, Iraqi Kurdistan Region, in order to investigate the effects of artificial pollination, boron application, and cultivar on some fruit quality and quantity of olive.

Six selected pollinizers (Arbequina, Ashrasi, Hojiblanca, K18, Kaissy, and Picual) in addition to self and open-pollination, two boron levels (0 and 200 mg.L-1) as well as two main cultivars (Sorani and Khodeiri) were used.

Results showed that cultivars are relatively self-incompatible while cultivar, pollinizer, and boron recorded significant differences with regard to some studied parameters.

Sorani Cultivar gave the highest percentage of final fruit set (1.96%), self-incompatibility index (0.59), fruit weight (2.64 g), fruit size (2.51 cm3), content percentage of oil (38.81%), content of soluble sugar (185.74 μg/g DW), the lowest fruit dropping (13.56%), and the lowest oil acidity (0.46%).

Besides, the highest content of boron (6.62 mg.L-1) were obtained from Khodeiri cultivar.

Boron sprayed with 200 mg.L-1 achieved the highest values of all studied parameters.

Moreover, Arbequina, Ashrasi, and Picual pollinizers gave the best results.

The interactions of the two factors revealed that Sorani and 200 mg.L-1 boron, every cultivar with Arbequina, Ashrasi, Picual and Hojiblanca pollinizers, and 200 mg.L-1 boron with Arbequina, Ashrasi, Picual and Hojiblanca pollinizers gave the best results.

Additionally, total interaction of all the factors indicated that the combination of the either cultivar, 200 mg.L-1 boron and Arbequina, Ashrasi, Picual and Hojiblanca pollinizers, demonstrated the best significant results.