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Winter mechanical hedge pruning of olive trees can result in a strong post-pruning shoot growth response and a low return flowering intensity the following year. However, post-pruning practices including tip heading, watersprout thinning, and the application of the growth inhibitor mepiquat chloride (MC) may positively reduce subsequent vegetative growth and promote flowering. Two experiments were carried out with the aim of addressing the following questions: (1) Do these post-pruning practices applied on trees that received simulated mechanical pruning during the winter reduce growth and increase flowering in the spring of the following year?; and (2) What is the optimal MC dose in unpruned trees needed to increase flowering the following spring? In the first experiment, five-year-old olive trees (cv. Arbequina) growing in a fairly low density orchard (208 trees ha−1) were hedge pruned at the end of winter using manual clippers on the east and west sides to simulate mechanical disk pruning, and the post-pruning treatments were applied at the pit hardening stage (early summer). In the second experiment, foliar or soil application of MC was performed at pit hardening in unpruned trees. The results show that tip heading of new shoots led to a large number of lateral shoots that flowered little, or not at all, the following spring. In contrast, the watersprout thinning treatment had sufficient flowering to significantly increase fruit number and yield the following year compared to tip heading. Foliar application of MC (1500 ppm) after winter pruning did not inhibit new shoot growth, return flowering was low, and yield was less than the watersprout thinning treatment. The lack of a post-pruning response to foliar MC was likely related to the dose used (1500 ppm). In the second experiment, a foliar application of MC at 3000 ppm was associated with greater return flowering and yield than an untreated control. In conclusion, thinning of vigorous watersprouts at the pit hardening stage three months after simulated winter mechanical hedge pruning can improve fruit number and yield the next year, especially on a per canopy volume basis. Furthermore, the responses to foliar MC application in unpruned trees suggest that more detailed post-pruning studies with MC application doses in the 2000–3000 ppm range and at additional phenological stages should be performed over several consecutive years to assess whether this practice could be a suitable management tool. Fil: Albarracin, Valeria Mariel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Universidad Nacional de La Rioja. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Universidad Nacional de Catamarca. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Secretaría de Industria y Minería. Servicio Geológico Minero Argentino. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Provincia de La Rioja. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja; Argentina Fil: Hall, Antonio Juan. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura; Argentina Fil: Searles, Peter Stoughton. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Universidad Nacional de La Rioja. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Universidad Nacional de Catamarca. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Secretaría de Industria y Minería. Servicio Geológico Minero Argentino. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Provincia de La Rioja. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja; Argentina Fil: Rousseaux, Maria Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Universidad Nacional de La Rioja. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Universidad Nacional de Catamarca. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Secretaría de Industria y Minería. Servicio Geológico Minero Argentino. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Provincia de La Rioja. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja; Argentina

The fatty acid composition of olive oil is greatly affected by geographical origin, and olive oil is often promoted by health experts because of its high oleic acid concentration. Unfortunately, recent evidence has shown that oleic acid (%) can be low in many non-Mediterranean regions due to high temperatures. Thus, management tools related to irrigation, fertilization, and canopy management are being sought that might improve fatty acid composition in such regions. The objectives here were to: 1) evaluate the relationships between fatty acid composition in fruit at different canopy positions and both the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and red-to-far red ratio (R/FR) measured at these same positions; and 2) determine the response functions of the fatty acid concentrations to PAR using multiple shading levels applied at different fruit growth phases. Fruit samples were taken from 60 canopy positions in a large olive hedgerow (cv. Arbequina) to achieve the first objective, and different shading levels (3, 20, 40, 70% PAR) were applied using shade cloth over the northern portion of large individual trees (cv. Arbequina) for the second objective. The oleic acid concentration (%) showed a significant exponential decay with increasing daily PAR values obtained from the different canopy positions. Maximum values of about 60% oleic acid were observed at low PAR and minimum values of 50% occurred at high PAR. Based on the artificial shading treatments, the high oleic acid at shaded canopy positions appeared to be related to less fruit maturation. The other main fatty acids did not differ by canopy position, and no significant relationships between individual fatty acids and R/FR ratio were found. However, severe artificial shading under shade cloth did increase stearic and linolenic acid concentrations. Despite oleic acid being about 10% higher in the more shaded parts of the canopy, cultivating olive trees at low PAR values in order to meet international olive oil trade standards would likely not be commercially feasible due to low flowering and yields. Careful cultivar selection, early harvesting when fruit are less mature and oleic acid is higher, and blending of oils from different cultivars are recommended to improve fatty acid composition in warm regions.

Maximizing productivity in super high density and intensive olive orchards requires proper management of illumination of the canopy walls and their interior. Currently, this is difficult to achieve due to the limited knowledge about the responses to incident photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) of yield determinants and components. We determined the response functions for PAR during the oil synthesis phase of yield components (fruit dry weight and oil concentration) of fruit at a height of 2 m on the canopy periphery by applying several radiation levels (3, 20, 40, and 70% of incident PAR) to the north side (S hemisphere) of well-illuminated trees. The experiment was initiated after endocarp hardening as fruit number had already been established at that time. This avoided possible confounding effects due compensation between fruit number and size. Absence of differential fruit fall in response to treatments and of changes in (endocarp + seed) dry weight after application of treatment confirmed the achievement of this objective. Fruit dry weight, oil concentration, and, consequently, yield increased linearly with mean daily PAR receipt up to a threshold of 15 mol PAR m-2 d-1 (i.e., 40% of PAR). In treatments with irradiance levels below this threshold the fruit became the priority sinks for assimilates, although their growth rate and oil concentration were reduced. Increments in length of non-fruiting branches and of trunk cross-sectional areas were substantially reduced in response to shading. We conclude that manipulation of PAR levels during the oil synthesis phase can reduce final fruit dry weight and oil concentration, confirms the existence of upper thresholds to PAR responses for these variables, and provides evidence that fruit growth has priority in the partitioning of photosynthate over vegetative growth under low to moderate levels of PAR. Fil: Cherbiy Hoffmann, Silvana Ursula. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Transferencia Tecnológica de Anillaco; Argentina Fil: Hall, Antonio Juan. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura; Argentina Fil: Rousseaux, Maria Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Transferencia Tecnológica de Anillaco; Argentina

Olive cultivation has expanded considerably beyond the Mediterranean Basin to include new areas in the Southern Hemisphere. This study evaluated the response functions of yield determinants and components to photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) in a large olive hedgerow (cv. ‘Arbequina’) in subtropical Argentina, and assessed whether mechanical pruning altered these relationships. Mechanical pruning was applied at the end of the winter dormant period to the east side and top of hedgerows oriented North–South, while the other side was left unpruned. The PAR distribution and leaf density at different positions within the hedgerow were measured over the two subsequent growing seasons with inflorescence density, fruit set, fruit density, individual fruit dry weight, and oil content (%) being assessed the second growing season. Hedgerow size increased substantially during the first season, especially on the pruned side and top, reducing transmitted PAR in much of the canopy to less than 20% of full Sun incident PAR values above the orchard. The relationship between leaf density (and thus number of axillary buds) and PAR was bilinear for the canopy positions within the unpruned side with a threshold of about 15% of full Sun PAR, above which leaf density did not increase. No relationships between leaf density and PAR were found within the pruned side and top. In contrast, inflorescence density exhibited a threshold of 18% of PAR for canopy positions within both the pruned and unpruned sides, although no relationship was apparent for the pruned top. Neither fruit set nor yield component relationships with PAR were affected by pruning. Fruit set had a linear response to PAR for the observed range of PAR values within the hedgerow (approx. 0–50% of full Sun). Individual fruit dry weight and oil content (%) also showed linear responses to PAR. The results suggest that oil production in large olive hedgerows (height × width) is limited by low solar radiation within the canopy, and that substantial vegetative growth triggered by mechanical pruning may be an important contributor to this limitation under current management practices in subtropical climates. Fil: Cherbiy Hoffmann, Silvana Ursula. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de la Rioja. Universidad Nacional de la Rioja. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. Universidad Nacional de Catamarca. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de la Rioja. Secretaria de Industria y Mineria. Servicio Geológico Minero Argentino. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja; Argentina Fil: Searles, Peter Stoughton. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de la Rioja. Universidad Nacional de la Rioja. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. Universidad Nacional de Catamarca. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de la Rioja. Secretaria de Industria y Mineria. Servicio Geológico Minero Argentino. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja; Argentina Fil: Hall, Antonio Juan. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas A la Agricultura. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas A la Agricultura; Argentina Fil: Rousseaux, Maria Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de la Rioja. Universidad Nacional de la Rioja. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. Universidad Nacional de Catamarca. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de la Rioja. Secretaria de Industria y Mineria. Servicio Geológico Minero Argentino. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja; Argentina