Evaluación agronómica y oleotécnica de genotipos seleccionados en un programa de mejora genética de olivo

The evolution of the global olive sector depends on the technical innovations to improve production and quality to optimize the costs. Thus, in recent years, we have seen some changes in the olive from intensification through mechanization to the development of the oil press. Such changes require the production of new varieties adapted to the new trends of olive growing and improved from current varieties obtained by the empirical selection of the farmer through centuries. In this context, the present work has evaluated two selection programs set as a corporation between the Andalusian Institute of Agricultural Research (IFAPA) and the University of Cordoba. First, we have a comparative trial of advanced selections including nine genotypes obtained by controlled crosses and, secondly, a test seedlings from open pollination of 23 varieties of Olive World Germplasm Bank of Córdoba. The evaluation was mainly morphological (dimensions of the tree), agricultural (production and fruit characteristics) and oleotechnic (quality parameters and oil content). In the comparative trail, the genotypes showed a short unproductive period that corresponds to the short juvenile period of the progenies which they come from. The genotype effect was dominant for most of the parameters evaluated. As for oil quality, deference was noted between the two testing dates marking a possible recommendation for an early harvest date. Of all the tested progenies, the genotype 'UC-I 22-90' was remarkable thanks to its Abencor, extractability, oxidative stability, and sensory quality performances. Regarding the mother trial, variability within crosses was always higher than between them, confirming previous studies. The high values of correlation between the values of the varieties used as parents and their progenies average for some of the traits can indicate a high heritability of these characters. In conclusion this study has confirmed the effectiveness of the shortening of the juvenile period, demonstrating the importance of the date for the optimal timing of harvest, identification of some promising selections, and the success of the strategy used for the generation of the variability