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Background: The progressive transformation of olive growing and the increasing demands for high-quality monovarietal virgin olive oil (VOO) have triggered interest in olive breeding programs, in which the evaluation of the new genotypes is the basis for obtaining new olive cultivars. In this work, the phenolic composition of VOOs from two progenies from crosses between 'Arbequina', 'Arbosana' and 'Sikitita' has been evaluated along two years., Results: A higher degree of variation was observed in segregating population as compared to genitors. The results also showed that the variability within crosses constitutes the major contribution to total variance for all considered parameters (>92% of total sum of squares). All compounds under study were present in oils obtained in both years; however, clear differences in their concentrations were observed between years., Conclusion: Olive breeding can indeed provide genotypes that produce oils with improved phenolic profiles as compared to traditional cultivars. In addition, the data showed that selection as a function of tyrosol content could be achieved in only one crop year. Finally, p-coumaric acid was the unique component able to discriminate between both crop years under study., (Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry.)

The duration of the juvenile period (JP) before the seedlings reach the adult phase (AP) and begin flowering is the major impediment for fruit breeding in olive. In this work, the effect of soil solarization on the growth and duration of the JP of olive seedlings was studied. Seedlings obtained from open pollination of 'Manzanilla de Sevilla' and from crosses between 'Arbequina' x 'Arbosana' and 'Picuar x 'Koroneiki' were tested. Solarization treatment consisted on covering the soil around the trees for 3 years by black plastic film in a split-plot design with the three progenies as the main factor and solarization/not solarization as the secondary factor. Solarization resulted in both higher soil temperature and soil moisture in solarized plots with respect to non-solarized. Significant differences between crosses were found for plant vigor and flowering measurements throughout the experiment. Soil solarization increased trunk diameter and the number of seedlings reaching AP in 'Manzanilla' open progeny. A positive effect of solarization on flowering index was also observed in 'Picuar x 'Koroneiki' progenies. These results suggest that soil solarization may be recommended as a tool for shortening the duration of the JP and thus accelerating the selection process in olive breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Effective methods to screen massively olive genotypes for Verticillium wilt resistance are needed. [•] We tested three different inoculation methods. [•] For the best inoculation method, we tested the influence of the environment and the age of the plants. [•] Root-dipping inoculation of young olive seedlings and evaluation under growth chamber conditions is an effective method to screen for resistant genotypes. [•] This screening method is suitable as a first step in a breeding program for Verticillium wilt resistance in olive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A first attempt to determine the effect of vigor and parents on the length of the juvenile period of olive seedlings is here reported. Vigor seems to have a significant influence on the percentage of flowering seedlings, especially in the first 2 years of bearing. The different parents used have produced differences in the juvenile period of their descendants. A correspondence between the length of the unproductive period of the parents and the length of the juvenile period that they transmit to their descendants has been observed. The seedling forcing growth protocol described here has been able to produce flowering seedlings 28 months after germination, with >93% of seedlings flowering 65 months after germination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]