Investigating Soil Factors Responsible for the Problematic Growth Of 51 Olive (Olea Europαea L.) Cultivars in an Alluvial Soil of Northern Greece

• Published in: Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 2018-03, Vol.49 (5), p.604-614
• Main Authors: Stefanou, Stefanos, Koutinas, Nikolaos, Karagiannidis, Nikitas, Papazafeiriou, Agapi Z., Lakis, Christos, Osmantzikidis, Iordanis
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural practices; Agronomy; Alkalinity; Alluvial soils; Biological fertilization; Cultivars; Fertility; Fertilization; Fluvisol; Fruit trees; Growth; Loam; nutrients; olive cultivars; Penetration resistance; Pest control; Plant tissues; Potassium; Sandy loam; Sandy soils; Soil; Soil analysis; Soil conditions; Soil investigations; Soil resistance; Tissue; Tissue analysis; Trees
• ISSN: 0010-3624; 1532-2416; 1532-4133
• DOI: 10.1080/00103624.2018.1432636

Fifty-one (51) olive cultivars (six trees per cultivar) were planted in an alluvial soil of an experimental field in Northern Greece for study of their growth. Soil is sandy loam (SL) - loamy sand (LS), moderately alkaline and presents no salinity or alkalinity. Despite the applied agronomic practices, i.e., soil fertilization, irrigation, and pest control, about half of the trees did not respond positively to the field conditions, while the remaining ones showed low to moderate growth based on measurements of height and crown diameter. Soil and leaf tissues analysis as well as penetration resistance (PR) measurements showed that olive trees' growth problems could be attributed to a combination of high PR values (>3 MPa) and to a certain degree to low fertility (especially nitrogen and potassium deficiencies). Under the prevailing soil conditions, the most resistant olive cultivars proved to be Dafnolia, Maronia, Oblonca, Ascolana, and Frantoio.