A comparison of growth, gas exchange and productivity in Olea europaea cultivars growing on Mediterranean hills.

This work concerns the ecophysiology of olive cultivars growing on Mediterranean hills. Our aim was to quantify the photosynthetic efficiency of the cultivars in cultivation. In two hill areas, we tested the phenological and ecophysio- logical variability of olive cultivars grown on non-irrigated land, with different pedo-climatic characteristics. Cultivation area 1 falls within a natural protected area, while area 2 is on farming land. The cultivars selected (‘Biancolilla’, ‘Nocellara del Belice’ and ‘Giarraffa’) belong to the local genetic pool and require different amounts of water. We followed the phe- nological phases of shoot growth and drupe production. We studied leaf anatomy and chloroplast ultrastructure. We meas- ured transpiration, stomatal conductance and net photosynthesis. Photosynthetic efficiency was higher in cultivars growing in cultivation area 2. Shoot growth was favoured in cultivation area 1, while drupe production was greater in cultivation area 2. ‘Giarraffa’ appeared to perform best in cultivation area 1, while ‘Biancolilla’ performed best in cultivation area 2.