Effect of planting depth and amount of water apply on growth characteristics and yield in olive trees.

Importance of olive culture and development has been considered in Iran during recent years. Regarding to water restriction and also inappropriate rainfall especially in arid and semi-arid regions like Iran, water is one of the most important and limitation factor for olive culture and development as a strategic product. For the purpose of water optimum use, it is necessary that we increase efficiency of seasonal precipitation and irrigation by avoiding from soil moisture reduction and increasing the water field capacity. So, in this research we tried to create appropriate conserving conditions by applying planting depth treatments and utilizing from compensative irrigation. This experiment was conducted in split plot based on Randomized Complete Block Design with three replicates and two factors of planting depth (in three levels) as main plots and irrigation regimes) (in three levels) as subplots on a local cultivar (Zard). Details of the experiment are as follows: Main plot: planting depths (3 levels) D1= a hole with 50 cm depth (Planting position-ground), D2= a 90 cm hole (planting position: at 40 cm depth), D3= a hole with 130 cm depth (Planting position: 80 cm from the land level). Sub plots: amounts of irrigation water E0= control (no irrigation) E1= irrigation as much as soil deficit in 300 mm evaporation from class A basin and E2: irrigation as much as soil moisture deficit in 600 mm evaporation from class A basin. The results showed that in spite of olive trees resistance against water stress, young olive trees do not grow property under the strong water stress, but providing appropriate conditions in planting depths leads to decrease in water stress caused by water deficiency increase in length and weight of young stems in addition to seedlings diameter due to moisture conservation and reducing evaporation rate from planting substrate without regarding the levels of irrigation.‎