A major concern for olive cultivation in many extra-Mediterranean regions is the adaptation of recently introduced cultivars to environmental conditions different from those prevailing in the original area, such as the Mediterranean basin. Some of these cultivars can easily adapt their physiological and biochemical parameters in new agro-environments, whereas others show unbalanced values of oleic acid content. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the thermal regime during oil synthesis on the expression of fatty acid desaturase genes and on the unsaturated fatty acid contents at the field level. Two cultivars (Arbequina and Coratina) were included in the analysis over a wide latitudinal gradient in Argentina. The results suggest that the thermal regime exerts a regulatory effect at the transcriptional level on both OeSAD2 and OeFAD2-2 genes and that this regulation is cultivar-dependent. It was also observed that the accumulated thermal time affects gene expression and the contents of oleic and linoleic acids in cv. Arbequina more than in Coratina. The fatty acid composition of cv. Arbequina is more influenced by the temperature regime than Coratina, suggesting its greater plasticity. Overall, findings from this study may drive future strategies for olive spreading towards areas with different or extreme thermal regimes serve as guidance for the evaluation olive varietal patrimony.

A new non-destructive index of absorbance difference (I_AD), calculated with different wavelengths as references, near the chlorophyll absorbance peak or that for anthocyanin, has been used to determine the fruit ripening of several fruit species using portable devices such as Standard DA-Meter^® and Kiwi-Meter^®. In this study, for the first time, the application of the I_AD was evaluated on single, intact olives of the Leccino cultivar, as a single non-destructive maturity index to follow ripening in the field, directly on the tree. The I_AD determined by both devices was found to be useful for monitoring the olive ripening, however, better performance was achieved with the Kiwi-Meter^®. In fact, the I_AD determined by this device was more effective at measuring all the studied olive ripening parameters in the calibration and validation datasets with acceptable accuracy. Specifically, better performance of the I_DA by Kiwi-Meter^® was observed in estimation of the color index (R² = 0.817, DRMSEC = 0.404 and RPIQ = 3.863 for calibration and R² = 0.752, DRMSECV = 0.574 and RPIQ = 3.244 for validation), confirming its potential for evaluating the degree of olive ripeness. This novel index has significant applicative possibilities, since it would allow rapid, on-site screening of the best harvesting time to improve the olive production in terms of both yield and quality.

Over the past three decades, super high-density (SHD) olive orchards (>1000 trees ha⁻¹) have been widely implemented for olive ( Olea europaea L.) cultivation. These systems enable early entry into production and full mechanization, but require high-water supply and they do not tolerate prolonged water stress. These latter aspects represent a challenge for arid growing areas such as those in western Argentina. This study evaluated several productive, vegetative and physiological responses to deficit irrigation (DI) strategies in a young SHD orchard (cv. Arbosana). Measurements were made during the first three productive seasons. Three DI treatments - one sustaining DI at 70% ETc throughout the entire growth period evaluated (CDI70), and two regulated DI treatments applying 50% and 25% of ETc (RDI50 and RDI25, respectively) during non-critical periods - were compared against a control (100% ETc) treatment. The total irrigation water savings were 30% (CDI70 and RDI50) and nearly 50% (RDI25). No clear differences in vegetative parameters were found between the different DI treatments, and between these and the control treatment. In contrast, fruit yield parameters showed a marked effect of the different DI treatments on alternate bearing of the olive crop. This was particularly noticeable for the two regulated DI treatments, in which a significant decline in yield was observed in the second crop cycle. Differently, the continuous DI treatment (CDI70), besides maintaining a balanced water status, was able to sustain and significantly increase fruit and oil yield at the end of the third crop cycle. In this latter treatment - considering the cumulative results of the three cycles examined - those yield parameters also showed significantly higher values than those from the control treatment. As a result of lower water consumption and higher yields, water productivity was also significantly enhanced. Because of major effects on fruit bearing, moderate or severe water restrictions (RDI50 and RDI25 treatments) would not be viable for sustaining production of 'Arbosana' trees in SHD systems. Although the results must be validated in longer trials, continuous DI (70% ETc during the entire crop season) could moderate vegetative growth and increase productivity in a sustained manner.

La gestión eficiente del recurso hídrico constituye un desafío central en la agricultura moderna, especialmente en regiones áridas y semiáridas. En este contexto, el riego de precisión requiere de información confiable y oportuna sobre el estado hídrico de los cultivos. En este trabajo se propone una metodología para el seguimiento del estado hídrico de un olivar superintensivo basada en el uso de imágenes termográficas y multiespectrales de alta resolución adquiridas mediante un vehículo aéreo no tripulado (UAV), equipado con una cámara termográfica FLIR VueProR 640 y una cámara multiespectral MicaSense RedEdge. El estudio se desarrolló durante la campaña productiva 2024–25 sobre un olivar experimental en el que se aplicaron cuatro tratamientos de riego con diferentes niveles de reposición hídrica (100%, 70%, 50% y 25%), con el objetivo de generar variabilidad en el estado hídrico del cultivo. Las imágenes térmicas y multiespectrales fueron procesadas mediante un flujo de trabajo integrado que combina fotogrametría digital, sistemas de información geográfica y herramientas de programación en Python. A partir de ortomosaicos georreferenciados con una resolución espacial aproximada de 4 cm se calcularon la temperatura del cultivo, el índice de estrés hídrico del cultivo (CWSI) y el índice de vegetación NDVI. Los resultados muestran una elevada variabilidad espacial y temporal de los índices térmicos asociada a los tratamientos de riego, mientras que el NDVI presenta un comportamiento más estable a lo largo de la campaña. La metodología propuesta permite un estudio detallado a escala intra-parcela y aporta un flujo de trabajo integrado para el procesamiento y análisis de datos aplicados a la gestión del riego en olivares superintensivos.