1. Olive fertilization requirements under intensive cultivation management
Arnon Dag, Ran Erel, Alon Ben-Gal and Uri Yermiyahu
Gilat Research Center
Agricultural Research Organization
Ministry of Agriculture, Israel

2. Outline Transition from rain-fed to irrigated olive cultivation
Water quantity and quality effect on olive fertilization requirements
Fertilization and olive oil quality
Fertilization and olive productivity
Bi-annual bearing and nutrients balance in olive
Final conclusions

3. Development in world olive oil production
Increased cultivation
area
Intensification
International Olive Council

4. Modernization in olive cultivation
Varieties (fast growing high yielding)
Close spaced planting, orchard management
Pruning, soil cultivation, plant protection
Irrigation - fertigation
Water available for irrigating olives
לנושא השלישי אפשר להראות צורות עצוב של עץ, tilage non-tilage
Scarce optimize irrigation
Low quality
Recycled wastewater
Saline water

5. Intensive orchards Traditional orchards Limiting factors:
water and nutrients
Limiting factor:
Radiation
Close spaced planting
Intensive orchards
Traditional orchards
ca. 10 x 10 m
4 x x 7 m

7. Response of leaf mineral concentrations to increasing irrigation levels. Symbols are averages for 4 years of data, n = 4 (Baka) and n = 5 (Revadim). a Nitrogen, b phosphorus, c potassium. Different letters indicate significant (P < 0.01) differences between treatments of the same experiment.
Water quantity
Zipori, I., Yermiyahu, U., Erel, R., Presnov, E., Faingold, I., Ben-Gal, A. and Dag, A
(2015). The influence of irrigation level on olive tree nutritional status
Irr. Sci. 33:

8. N, P and K content in recycled and fresh water
Water quality

9. Irrigation of olives using recycled water (total yield 2006-14)b
ישום סטנדרטי- 200 ק"ג להקטר של חנקן ו300 של אשלגן ללא זרחן
Dag, A., Yermiyahu, U., Ben-Gal, A., Segal, E. and Kerem, Z. (2012). Irrigation of olives with recycled water. In: U.S. EPA Guidelines for Water Reuse, pp. E58-E59.

10. Nutrient availability
Olive irrigation
Nutritional demands
Nutrient availability

11. Olive oil quality Dag et al. (2009) J. Sci. Food Agric. 89: 1871-1878.
Erel et al (2013) J. Agric. Food Chem. 61:

12. Solution treatments גילת 15.6.06 P) ppm( N (ppm ( 0.3 5 K (ppm) 10 0.625 48 76
109
152
197
P) ppm(
0.3
0.6
1.2
1.9
4.3
9.3
19.2
K (ppm) 10 19 28 52 80
102
208

13. 3 months
3 years
Initiation
6 months
14 months

14. Oil quality: Acidity N

15. The effect of N fertilization level on FFA in oil, field trail, 2012-2015AB B a B a b b
0-45 kg/ha
75 kg/ha
150 kg/ha
300 kg/ha

16. Oil quality: polyphenol
Nitrogen – Polyphenol
Polyphenol (mg/kg)

17. The effect of N fertilization level on polyphenol content in oil, field trial, 2012-2015ab A ab a A A b ab AB B b B B b B
0-45 kg/ha
75 kg/ha
150 kg/ha
300 kg/ha

18. The effect of nitrogen availability on oil
fatty acids profile
Fatty acid composition as a function of N concentration in fruit flesh for the three studied years: 2007 (purple), 2008 (red), and 2009 (blue) and the three manipulated treatments: N (●), P (▲), and K (■). Each point represents an average of six replicates in 2007 and three replicates in 2008 and The statistical parameters of the model are presented in Table 4.
Published in: Ran Erel; Zohar Kerem; Alon Ben-Gal; Arnon Dag; Amnon Schwartz; Isaac Zipori; Loai Basheer; Uri Yermiyahu; J. Agric. Food Chem.  2013, 61,

19. Conclusions: ↑ ↓ ↑ N ↑ P ↑ K
Excess nitrogen impairs both oil quantity and quality.
Phosphorus modifies the oil properties but less than N.
Potassium did not affect oil properties.
PUFA
MUFA
P”P
FFA
C18:3
C18:2
C18:1 ↑ ↓
↑ N
------
↑ P
-----
↑ K

20. Productivity Erel et al. (2008) J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 133: 639-647.
Erel et al. (2013) Scientia Hort. 159: 8-18.
Erel et al. (2016) PloS ONE 11(12): e

21. The effect of nitrogen level in irrigation
solution on fruit and oil yield
Oil yield (Kg/tree)
Total harvested fruit (Kg/tree)
יבול של שלוש שנים כאשר השנה הראשונה היה יבול נמוך
N in irrigation solution (ppm)

22. The effect of nitrogen level in leaves Total harvested fruit (kg/tree)
on fruit and oil yield
Total harvested fruit (kg/tree)
N in irrigation (ppm)
Oil yield (kg/tree)
Sufficient level
(literature)
עד כאן
N in leaves (%)

23. N in fruit flesh as indication for
over fertilization
N in leaf (%)
Fruit yield (kg/tree)
לסייג ולומר שהיבולים משפיעים גם הם
N in fruit flesh (%)

24. The correlation between nitrogen level in
diagnostic leaves to productivity
Fruit set (%)
Flowering intensity (%)
שנה אחת 2008
איך זה שזה יורד, בפרי, נשירה !
Accumulative
# of fruits
N in leaf (%)

25. The correlation between nitrogen level in
irrigation solution and fruit drop
Fruit drop (%)
עד כאן
N in irrigation (ppm)

26. The correlation between phosphorous level in
diagnostic leaves and fruit / oil yield
Sufficient level
(literature)

27. The correlation between phosphorous level in
diagnostic leaves with productivity
Fruit set (%)
Flowering intensity (%)
Accumulative
# of fruits
P in leaves (%)

28. Pistil fresh weight as affected by P level.
Erel R, Yermiyahu U, Yasuor H, Cohen Chamus D, Schwartz A, et al. (2016) Phosphorous Nutritional Level, Carbohydrate Reserves and Flower Quality in Olives. PLOS ONE 11(12): e

29. Olive oil production in Israel 1998-2008K
Olive oil production in Israel
אולי להעביר את כל הסיפור של הסרוגיות להמשך..
Source: FAOSTAT

30. Possible reasons for biennial bearing
Heavy yield inhibits concurrent vegetative growth, restricting the platform for flowering sites in the following year.
Inhibition of floral bud induction and differentiation by hormones produced by developing seeds.
Limited resources (carbohydrates, minerals).
Environmental conditions.

31. % of dry matter
Sampling time
Changes in the mineral content in leaves and roots of olive trees during biennial yield cycle
Fluctuations in the concentrations of potassium in the leaves and the roots of On- and Off-trees (cv. Barnea) during the reproductive cycle of Values are means of 8 replicates. Bars indicate for ±SE.
Bustan et al., Scientia Horticulturae (2013) 152,

32. Leaf potassium level drops down in an ‘On’ year
Leaf potassium level drops down in an ‘On’ year. Does this indicate that K is a major element affecting tree productivity ???

33. The correlation between potassium level in
diagnostic leaves and fruit and oil yield
Fruit yield (Kg/tree)
Oil yield (Kg/tree)
Sufficient level
(literature)
K in leaves (%)

34. Potassium level is affected by the fruit load, but generally, it does not affect the yield.
And nitrogen????

35. K and Na interaction Can Na replace K in olive?
The lack of response to K was very strange… K is generally needed in large quantities, especially under drought
When we examine the leaf analysis we can see a major Na accumulation in K1 treatment. Actually, by the end of the experiment Na was almost double the concentration of K in the leaf.
CAN Na REPLACE K IN THE OLIVE
Can Na replace K in olive?
Erel et al., (2014), Tree Physiol. 34:

36. CO2 response curve
Pn is function of both gs and the photosynthetic apparatus.
Therefore, in the present slide, A/Ci response curve is presented rather than direct Pn measurements. A/Ci curve presents the Pn rate versus the internal CO2 concentration and thus avoiding the effect of stomata resistance.
The figure speaks for itself: for any given CO2 concentration in the mesophyll the Pn rate was lowest in the 0 K 0 Na treatment, about half of the control, while the addition of Na to K deficient plant recovered most of the Pn rate
The difference between the green and the red treatments is only Na. both had no K

37. Macro-element level in leaves (%)
Summary P
Yield N K
Yield
Yield
Macro-element level in leaves (%)

38. Conclusions
Irrigation level and water quality affect nutrient availability.
Phosphorous availably positively affects olive productivity.
Nitrogen availability negatively affects oil quality.
Potassium level is affected by the fruit load, but generally, it does not affect the yield.

39. Thank you !