Effects of Climate on Fruit Growth and Development on Olive Oil Quality in Cultivar Carolea

Rocco Mafrica, Amalia Piscopo, Alessandra De Bruno and Marco Poiana
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Rocco Mafrica: Department of AGRARIA, University Mediterranea of Reggio Calabria, 89124 Vito, Reggio Calabria, Italy
Amalia Piscopo: Department of AGRARIA, University Mediterranea of Reggio Calabria, 89124 Vito, Reggio Calabria, Italy
Alessandra De Bruno: Department of AGRARIA, University Mediterranea of Reggio Calabria, 89124 Vito, Reggio Calabria, Italy
Marco Poiana: Department of AGRARIA, University Mediterranea of Reggio Calabria, 89124 Vito, Reggio Calabria, Italy

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 2, 1-18

Abstract: Trees of the olive ( Olea europaea L.) cultivar Carolea grown in Calabria (Italy) in three sites with different main climate traits (temperatures, rainfall, Growth Degree Days seasonal variations) were studied for three years to see the ripening time course and quality of the oils. The optimal harvesting time for obtaining the best-quality olive oils was defined for each site. The effect on quality indexes of three harvesting periods was also considered, linking this to the observed various thermal regimes. The different climates largely affected the growth and the development of fruits and the quality of obtained oils. Lower temperatures and higher rainfall slow down fruit growth and development and delay ripening. Olive oils of good quality (free acidity, fatty acid composition, antioxidant components and oxidative stability were obtained in the site with lower temperatures and higher rainfall when fruits were still yellow-green ripe and had a detachment index between 1.9 and 1.5. Climate change, evidenced by rising temperatures, led to the movement of olive groves from the high-temperature coastal plain to the intern foothills.

Keywords: climate; quality; olive oil; Carolea (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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