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In recent years, there has been growing interest in olive genotypes (Olea europaea L.) suitable for super-high-density (SHD > 1200 trees/hectare) orchards. To date, only a few cultivars are considered fitting for such cultivation system. In this study, the first results on the architectural characteristics of the canopy of ten new olive genotypes are presented. Their suitability for SHD orchards was evaluated and compared with the cultivar 'Arbequina', which is considered suitable for SHD olive orchards and, for this reason, was used as the control. Several canopy measurements were taken, and some architectural parameters, such as branching frequency, branching density, and branch diameter/stem diameter ratio were calculated. The branching frequency value was greater than 0.20 in 'Arbequina' and in only four of the genotypes. The branching density in five genotypes was similar to 'Arbequina'. 'Arbequina' had the lowest value for the branch diameter/stem diameter ratio, and only three genotypes had similar values. These initial results showed that only one genotype has all canopy architectural characteristics comparable to those of the cv. 'Arbequina'. Further studies are needed to evaluate the production traits of these new genotypes and complete their characterization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aimed to monitor vegetation using C-band radar data at a subdaily time step. To this end, radar measurements using tower-mounted antennas with a 15-min time step, along with physiology-related information (sapflow and micrometric dendrometry), were acquired quasi-continuously from March 2020 to December 2021 in an olive orchard located near Marrakech, Morocco. The article focused on temporal coherence, whose clear diurnal cycle (highest at night and lowest at the end of the afternoon) had been highlighted over tropical and boreal forests in previous studies. The results showed that coherence was highly sensitive to: wind-induced movement of scatterers, since coherence was lowest when wind speed was highest in late afternoon, and vegetation activity, especially its water dynamics, since the morning coherence drop coincided with the onset of sapflow and the daily evapotranspiration cycle, as well as the good agreement between the temporal drop rate of coherence and the daily residual variation in trunk circumference (i.e., deviation from long-term trend). Finally, coherence remained high for temporal baselines of several days, showing that sentinel-1 data (when both satellites are operational) may be well suited for such studies, especially with acquisitions made during morning passes, when wind speed is low. These results open perspectives for monitoring tree crop physiology using high-revisit-time radar observations.

Landform diversity influences and interacts with both biodiversity and geodiversity and thus, they are key factors in the assessment of landscape resilience. However, research on the spatial relationships between landscape geodiversity and biodiversity is challenging because we are still lacking methods to link abiotic with biotic factors. The goal of this study is to explore and quantitatively assess the spatial relationship between geomorphometric factors and the relative distribution of rare earth elements (REEs) in soils and organism. Therefore, we selected a representative Mediterranean landscape characterized by ancient olive grove cultivations. The results show for different landforms and lithotypes a positive linear correlation in the lanthanum/samarium vs. lanthanum/ytterbium (La/Sm vs. La/Yb) signature between the bioavailable fraction of topsoil and olive drupe. Results of La/Yb vs. La/Sm reported as power function for olive drupes and topsoil follow comparable scaling ranges showing a power law of 0.83 and 0.71 respectively with an R2 0.96 vs. 0.71. A different scaling range behavior from topsoil to the related olive drupe was found for each parent rock material. Results of the Machine Learning (ML) modelling framework showed that the LaN/SmN in topsoil, were substantiality correlated to channel network base level, topographic wetness index, NDWI and valley depth. Under the physiographic environmental variables of the study area, the spatial distribution of LaN/YbN was mainly related to the lithological characteristics. Furthermore, NDVI was the most important variable to predict the fractionation ratio of LaN/YbN in olive drupe and the topographic channel network distance for LaN/SmN in olive drupe. Our findings provide new insights in the spatial distribution of REEs allowing an assessment of bio- and geodiversity of olive groves taking into account biophysical factors. Our research represents a starting point for future applications and modelling techniques to analyze at the catchment-scale the REEs biophysical fluxes and food traceability.

In recent years, there has been growing interest in olive genotypes (Olea europaea L.) suitable for super-high-density (SHD > 1200 trees/hectare) orchards. To date, only a few cultivars are considered fitting for such cultivation system. In this study, the first results on the architectural characteristics of the canopy of ten new olive genotypes are presented. Their suitability for SHD orchards was evaluated and compared with the cultivar ‘Arbequina’, which is considered suitable for SHD olive orchards and, for this reason, was used as the control. Several canopy measurements were taken, and some architectural parameters, such as branching frequency, branching density, and branch diameter/stem diameter ratio were calculated. The branching frequency value was greater than 0.20 in ‘Arbequina’ and in only four of the genotypes. The branching density in five genotypes was similar to ‘Arbequina’. ‘Arbequina’ had the lowest value for the branch diameter/stem diameter ratio, and only three genotypes had similar values. These initial results showed that only one genotype has all canopy architectural characteristics comparable to those of the cv. ‘Arbequina’. Further studies are needed to evaluate the production traits of these new genotypes and complete their characterization.

The trade-off between increasing agricultural production and groundwater conservation, which is often the only irrigation source in arid regions, is a major challenge for water managers, decision-makers and the scientific community. Monitoring of the water use efficiency (WUE) provides a measure of the water lost from a canopy to the atmosphere relative to the biomass produced by the plants, and can be used to inform efforts that seek to reduce irrigation without impacting upon the yield. In this study, WUE was computed as the ratio between the gross primary productivity (GPP) and the evapotranspiration (ET). Both GPP and ET can be measured at the local scale using eddy covariance (EC) systems. However, in order to spatially evaluate WUE for larger areas or regions, local measurements are rarely representative. The spatiotemporal covariation of ET, GPP and WUE remains understudied, particularly at the scale of operational agroecosystems. In this study, Sentinel-2 optical bands were used to provide high spatiotemporal resolution estimates of ET via application of the Priestley-Taylor Jet Propulsion Laboratory (PT-JPL) model. A key soil water stress constraint in PT-JPL was linked to the Modified Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (MSAVI), while estimates of the GPP were delivered via the Vegetation Photosynthesis Model (VPM). In order to evaluate the water consumption and irrigation efficiency over an irrigated plantation of very high-density olive trees, ET, GPP and WUE were computed for a 1.5 year period, covering January 2019 to June 2021. Model estimates of both ET and GPP were compared to the EC measurements, with results providing a root mean square error (RMSE) of 63.3 W/m2 and a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.74 for ET and 2.3 g C/m2/day and 0.73 for GPP, respectively. Based on these estimates, WUE was then calculated as the ratio of the GPP and ET. Relative to in situ measured data, the results were biased, with ET overestimated and GPP underestimated. An alternative measure for WUE was determined based on a linear regression model of meteorological data derived from ERA5-Land and vegetation indices derived from Sentinel-2 data. Overall, the best results were identified using an NDVI-based linear regression model, with an RMSE of 0.9 g C/Kg H2O and an R2 of 0.76. These results show the potential of high-resolution satellite data to assess WUE over agroecosystems, helping to overcome the limitations presented by in-situ measurements and supporting agricultural production and water resources management in water-limited regions.

Use of solid agricultural digestate as a substitute for chemical fertilizers in Mediterranean cropping systems can be a valuable approach to improving soil fertility. However, it is important to accurately assess its mineralisation dynamics in order to avoid uncontrolled nutrient releases in agroecosystems. With this aim, a field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of solid digestate application on total soil nitrogen (TSN), extractable organic N (EON) and mineral N forms (NH4+-N and NO3−-N) in two Mediterranean soil profiles (clay and sandy-loam) over one year. The solid digestate increased TSN and EON concentrations in the upper soil layer (0–20 cm) of both soils, more in the clay soil, with a decreasing effect in the lower soil layers (20–40 and 40–60 cm). The amendment increased NH4+-N concentrations, with a greater and longer-lasting effect in the clay soil, especially in the first two soil layers (0–20 and 20–40 cm), while in the lowest, it was limited at the first sampling epoch. The NO3−-N copied the NH4+-N trends in both soils, with a greater effect on the 0–20 cm soil layer at all sampling epochs. The present study suggests that solid digestate, applied at a dose of 30 Mg ha−1, can be a useful alternative to mineral N fertilisers for clay and sandy-loam soils in Mediterranean orchards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accurate monitoring of soil salinization plays a key role in the ecological security and sustainable agricultural development of semiarid regions. The objective of this study was to achieve the best estimation of electrical conductivity variables from salt-affected soils in a south Mediterranean region using Sentinel-2 multispectral imagery. In order to realize this goal, a test was carried out using electrical conductivity (EC) data collected in central Tunisia. Soil electrical conductivity and leaf electrical conductivity were measured in an olive orchard over two growing seasons and under three irrigation treatments. Firstly, selected spectral salinity, chlorophyll, water, and vegetation indices were tested over the experimental area to estimate both soil and leaf EC using Sentinel-2 imagery on the Google Earth Engine platform. Subsequently, estimation models of soil and leaf EC were calibrated by employing machine learning (ML) techniques using 12 spectral bands of Sentinel-2 images. The prediction accuracy of the EC estimation was assessed by using k-fold cross-validation and computing statistical metrics. The results of the study revealed that machine learning algorithms, together with multispectral data, could advance the mapping and monitoring of soil and leaf electrical conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the Zero pollution action, there is a strong emphasis on promoting management practices that enhance nitrogen (N) cycling to decrease reliance on inorganic N fertilizers and mitigate potential environmental impacts. Olive (Olea europaea L.) groves constitute the dominant landscape of many areas of Southern Mediterranean as Andalusia (Spain). Different farming models coexist in the olive sector, but they had not been studied in the context of N cycle. By integrating field and model data, we analyzed N flows, N balance, levels of N cycling closure, and N footprints in olive groves employing various cultivation models. Farms were categorized on: Org (organic external fertilization, high level of biomass recycling, temporary spontaneous cover crops), Tra (organic external fertilization, low recycling, bare soil), Int (inorganic external fertilization, low recycling, bare soil) and IPr (inorganic or organic external fertilization, low recycling, temporary spontaneous cover crops). Tree N demand, averaging 55 kg ha-1 y-1, correlated with fruit production and canopy area, making them suitable proxies for calculating N demand without exhaustive sampling. The N balance was positive for all farming models, with the Org model showing a more neutral balance (+7.4 kg N ha-1 y-1) and the IPr olive farms showing surpluses (+40.2 kg ha-1 y-1). In Org farms, annual N inputs were the lowest and rely on natural entries like N fixation, while Cycling Index was significantly higher than those of other groups (between 1.45 and 1.81 times). This was attributed to N recirculation mechanisms such as cover crops, shredding tree pruning, and returning harvested N through composted olive mill pomace. Soil erosion, often overlooked, emerged as a major N outflow, especially in Org farms with the highest soil N content, resulting in the highest N losses per liter of oil. Per liter of olive oil, Trad, Ipr, and Int farms use between 1.9 and 2.2 times more anthropogenic N inputs than Org farms. Overall, our results highlight significant potential to enhance internal N cycling, increase self-sufficiency, and extend the lifespan of N in olive farming by implementing scalable management practices that promote nature-based processes. • Harvested fruit and tree canopy area were significant proxies for calculating the N demanded by olive trees. • Soil N balance of the groups of farms was positive and ranged from +7.4 to +40.2 kg ha-1 y-1, averaging +27.4 kg ha-1 y-1. • Highest N outputs other than harvested N were due to soil erosion. • Organic farms use half antropogenic N input per liter of olive oil compared to other olive farms. • Managements that enhance nature-based processes had the highest internal N cycling and throughoutflow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Olives ripen in the late autumn and represent a good source of nutrients that Halyomorpha halys uses to prepare for diapause. This is the first study to investigate the impact of H. halys infestation on the phenolic response and olive fruit quality in the pierced tissue of damaged fruits and in the non-pierced part of damaged fruits of 'Istrska belica' and 'Pendolino' cultivars. Both total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity contents significantly increased in the infested fruits of the cultivar 'Istrska belica'. Total phenolic content in the pierced tissue of damaged fruits increased by 10.7%, while the content of AC in the non-pierced tissue of damaged fruits increased by 7.11% and in the pierced tissue of damaged fruits by 6.1% compared to control. A total of 44 individual phenolic compounds were identified, 21 of them increased in at least one cultivar after infestation. Huge increases in phenolic content were observed in both cultivars, particularly for flavones, secoiridoids, anthocyanins, and flavonols in the pierced tissue of damaged fruits. The most responsive individual phenolic compound in both cultivars was oleuropein. Its content in the pierced tissue of damaged fruits increased by 44.7% in the cultivar 'Pendolino' and for 82.6% in the cultivar 'Istrska belica'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Mustafa Kemal University Journal of Agricultural Sciences / Mustafa Kemal Üniversitesi Tarım Bilimleri Dergisi is the property of Mustafa Kemal University, Faculty of Agriculture and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Use of solid agricultural digestate as a substitute for chemical fertilizers in Mediterranean cropping systems can be a valuable approach to improving soil fertility. However, it is important to accurately assess its mineralisation dynamics in order to avoid uncontrolled nutrient releases in agroecosystems. With this aim, a field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of solid digestate application on total soil nitrogen (TSN), extractable organic N (EON) and mineral N forms (NH4+-N and NO3−-N) in two Mediterranean soil profiles (clay and sandy-loam) over one year. The solid digestate increased TSN and EON concentrations in the upper soil layer (0–20 cm) of both soils, more in the clay soil, with a decreasing effect in the lower soil layers (20–40 and 40–60 cm). The amendment increased NH4+-N concentrations, with a greater and longer-lasting effect in the clay soil, especially in the first two soil layers (0–20 and 20–40 cm), while in the lowest, it was limited at the first sampling epoch. The NO3−-N copied the NH4+-N trends in both soils, with a greater effect on the 0–20 cm soil layer at all sampling epochs. The present study suggests that solid digestate, applied at a dose of 30 Mg ha−1, can be a useful alternative to mineral N fertilisers for clay and sandy-loam soils in Mediterranean orchards.

The olive tree (Olea europaea L.), widely cultivated in the Mediterranean countries for olive oil and table olive production, has an important economic role. In the age of climate change, it is crucial to know the importance of environmental impacts associated to the production system. Thus, the aim of this study was to characterise the environmental impacts of a semi-intensive olive orchard drip irrigated with ground water, located in the Northeast Region of Portugal. Life cycle analysis was conducted according to ISO 14040. We used openLCA software, the Agribalyse V. 3 database, and a cradle-to-gate analysis in the impact assessment (Recipe Midpoint (H) V1.13). In the climate change category, the results indicated that for production of 1 kg olives, a total of 0.249 kg CO2-Eq. were emitted to the atmosphere. Regarding the direct impact of production system, a total of 0.177 kg CO2-Eq. (71.5%) were emitted, followed by indirect impacts associated with raw material of the irrigation system (0.032 kg CO2-Eq. total, 12.7%), and electricity needed to pump ground water (0.012 kg CO2-Eq., 4.8%). In relation to inputs for production, the raw material for urea production contributed 0.013 kg CO2-Eq. (5.0%) of total emissions. To the best of our knowledge, this study was the first carried out in this region, and contributes to a better understanding of environmental impacts that will allow their minimisation and ensure olive orchard sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accurate monitoring of soil salinization plays a key role in the ecological security and sustainable agricultural development of semiarid regions. The objective of this study was to achieve the best estimation of electrical conductivity variables from salt-affected soils in a south Mediterranean region using Sentinel-2 multispectral imagery. In order to realize this goal, a test was carried out using electrical conductivity (EC) data collected in central Tunisia. Soil electrical conductivity and leaf electrical conductivity were measured in an olive orchard over two growing seasons and under three irrigation treatments. Firstly, selected spectral salinity, chlorophyll, water, and vegetation indices were tested over the experimental area to estimate both soil and leaf EC using Sentinel-2 imagery on the Google Earth Engine platform. Subsequently, estimation models of soil and leaf EC were calibrated by employing machine learning (ML) techniques using 12 spectral bands of Sentinel-2 images. The prediction accuracy of the EC estimation was assessed by using k-fold cross-validation and computing statistical metrics. The results of the study revealed that machine learning algorithms, together with multispectral data, could advance the mapping and monitoring of soil and leaf electrical conductivity.

Olives ripen in the late autumn and represent a good source of nutrients that Halyomorpha halys uses to prepare for diapause. This is the first study to investigate the impact of H. halys infestation on the phenolic response and olive fruit quality in the pierced tissue of damaged fruits and in the non-pierced part of damaged fruits of ‘Istrska belica’ and ‘Pendolino’ cultivars. Both total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity contents significantly increased in the infested fruits of the cultivar ‘Istrska belica’. Total phenolic content in the pierced tissue of damaged fruits increased by 10.7%, while the content of AC in the non-pierced tissue of damaged fruits increased by 7.11% and in the pierced tissue of damaged fruits by 6.1% compared to control. A total of 44 individual phenolic compounds were identified, 21 of them increased in at least one cultivar after infestation. Huge increases in phenolic content were observed in both cultivars, particularly for flavones, secoiridoids, anthocyanins, and flavonols in the pierced tissue of damaged fruits. The most responsive individual phenolic compound in both cultivars was oleuropein. Its content in the pierced tissue of damaged fruits increased by 44.7% in the cultivar ‘Pendolino’ and for 82.6% in the cultivar ‘Istrska belica’.

Copyright of Agriculture / Poljoprivreda is the property of Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Agriculture in Osijek and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the Mediterranean, long-term impact of typical land uses on soil fertility have not been quantified yet on replicated mixed crop-livestock farms and considering the variability of soil texture. Here, we report the effects, after 15 years of practice, of two legume-winter cereal rotations, olive orchards and vineyards on microbiological and chemical indicators of soil fertility and the communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). We compare the changes among these four agricultural land-use types to woodland reference sites. Root colonization by AMF of English ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), a grass that occurred under all land use types, was only half as heavy in biannual berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.)-winter cereal rotations than in 4-year alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)-winter cereal rotations. In olive (Olea europaea L.) orchards and vineyards (Vitis vinifera L.), where weeds are controlled by frequent surface tillage, the AMF root colonization of ryegrass was again much lower than in the legume-cereal rotations and at the woodland reference sites. All the microbial parameters and soil organic carbon correlated most strongly with differences in occurrence and relative abundance (β-diversity) of AMF genera in soil. The soil pH and mineral nutrients in soil strongly correlated with differences in AMF root colonization and AMF genus richness (α-diversity) in soil. Diversity of AMF was much less affected by soil texture than land use, while the opposite was true for microbial and chemical soil fertility indicators. Land uses that guaranteed a continuous ground cover of herbaceous plants and that involved only infrequent tillage, such as multiyear alfalfa-winter cereal rotation, allowed members of the AMF genus Scutellospora to persist and remain abundant. On the contrary, under land uses accompanied by frequent tillage and hence discontinuous presence of herbaceous plants, such as tilled olive orchard and vineyard, members of the genus Funneliformis dominated. These results suggest that multiyear alfalfa-winter cereal rotation with active plant growth throughout the year is the least detrimental agricultural land use in soil carbon and AMF abundance and diversity, relative to the woodland reference.

This paper aims to evaluate the ability of VNIR proximal soil spectroscopy to determine post-fire soil chemical properties and discriminate fire severity based on soil spectra. A total of 120 topsoil samples (0–3 cm) were taken from 6 ha of unburned (control (CON)) and burned areas (moderate fire severity (MS) and high fire severity (HS)) in Mediterranean Croatia within one year after the wildfire. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) and an artificial neural network (ANN) were used to build calibration models of soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), CaCO3, plant-available phosphorus (P2O5) and potassium (K2O), soil organic carbon (SOC), exchangeable calcium (exCa), magnesium (exMg), potassium (exK), sodium (exNa), and cation exchange capacity (CEC), based on soil reflectance data. In terms of fire severity, CON samples exhibited higher average reflectance than MS and HS samples due to their lower SOC content. The PCA results pointed to the significance of the NIR part of the spectrum for extracting the variance in reflectance data and differentiation between the CON and burned area (MS and HS). DA generated 74.2% correctly classified soil spectral samples according to the fire severity. Both PLSR and ANN calibration techniques showed sensitivity to extract information from soil features based on hyperspectral reflectance, most successfully for the prediction of SOC, P2O5, exCa, exK, and CEC. This study confirms the usefulness of soil spectroscopy for fast screening and a better understanding of soil chemical properties in post-fire periods.

A survey was conducted in Tunisia to detect the presence of plant parasitic nematodes associated to olive trees. A high infection of olive roots and soil by the cyst nematode Heterodera mediterranea was detected in olive orchards located in the region of Moknine (Monastir, Sahel of Tunisia). Integrative taxonomic approaches (morphological, morphometrical and molecular analyses) were carried out in order to characterize the Tunisian population of H. mediterranea. Phylogenetic analyses of the ITS region, the D2-D3 expansion segments of the 28S rRNA gene and 18S rRNA gene highly supported that H. mediterranea from Tunisia belongs to the Schachtii group. So far, this is the first report of this nematode in Tunisia.

In the Mediterranean, long-term impact of typical land uses on soil fertility have not been quantified yet on replicated mixed crop-livestock farms and considering the variability of soil texture. Here, we report the effects, after 15 years of practice, of two legume-winter cereal rotations, olive orchards and vineyards on microbiological and chemical indicators of soil fertility and the communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). We compare the changes among these four agricultural land-use types to woodland reference sites. Root colonization by AMF of English ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), a grass that occurred under all land use types, was only half as heavy in biannual berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.)-winter cereal rotations than in 4-year alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)-winter cereal rotations. In olive (Olea europaea L.) orchards and vineyards (Vitis vinifera L.), where weeds are controlled by frequent surface tillage, the AMF root colonization of ryegrass was again much lower than in the legume-cereal rotations and at the woodland reference sites. All the microbial parameters and soil organic carbon correlated most strongly with differences in occurrence and relative abundance (β-diversity) of AMF genera in soil. The soil pH and mineral nutrients in soil strongly correlated with differences in AMF root colonization and AMF genus richness (α-diversity) in soil. Diversity of AMF was much less affected by soil texture than land use, while the opposite was true for microbial and chemical soil fertility indicators. Land uses that guaranteed a continuous ground cover of herbaceous plants and that involved only infrequent tillage, such as multiyear alfalfa-winter cereal rotation, allowed members of the AMF genus Scutellospora to persist and remain abundant. On the contrary, under land uses accompanied by frequent tillage and hence discontinuous presence of herbaceous plants, such as tilled olive orchard and vineyard, members of the genus Funneliformis dominated. These results suggest that multiyear alfalfa-winter cereal rotation with active plant growth throughout the year is the least detrimental agricultural land use in soil carbon and AMF abundance and diversity, relative to the woodland reference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Spatial relationships between landscape's geodiversity and biodiversity were investigated in a Mediterranean watershed of Central Tuscany, Italy. • The REEs distribution in bioavailable fractions of soils and olive drupes were detected. • A comparable scaling range was found in the La/Sm vs. La/Yb signature of topsoil and relative drupes. • Through the ML approaches the La N /Sm N ratio was mainly correlated to the hydrologic features and the La N /Yb N ratio was related to the lithological characteristics. • Using REEs signatures and ML approaches we directly assess the relation between abiotic and biotic factors. Landform diversity influences and interacts with both biodiversity and geodiversity and thus, they are key factors in the assessment of landscape resilience. However, research on the spatial relationships between landscape geodiversity and biodiversity is challenging because we are still lacking methods to link abiotic with biotic factors. The goal of this study is to explore and quantitatively assess the spatial relationship between geomorphometric factors and the relative distribution of rare earth elements (REEs) in soils and organism. Therefore, we selected a representative Mediterranean landscape characterized by ancient olive grove cultivations. The results show for different landforms and lithotypes a positive linear correlation in the lanthanum/samarium vs. lanthanum/ytterbium (La/Sm vs. La/Yb) signature between the bioavailable fraction of topsoil and olive drupe. Results of La/Yb vs. La/Sm reported as power function for olive drupes and topsoil follow comparable scaling ranges showing a power law of 0.83 and 0.71 respectively with an R2 0.96 vs. 0.71. A different scaling range behavior from topsoil to the related olive drupe was found for each parent rock material. Results of the Machine Learning (ML) modelling framework showed that the La N /Sm N in topsoil, were substantiality correlated to channel network base level, topographic wetness index, NDWI and valley depth. Under the physiographic environmental variables of the study area, the spatial distribution of La N /Yb N was mainly related to the lithological characteristics. Furthermore, NDVI was the most important variable to predict the fractionation ratio of La N /Yb N in olive drupe and the topographic channel network distance for La N /Sm N in olive drupe. Our findings provide new insights in the spatial distribution of REEs allowing an assessment of bio- and geodiversity of olive groves taking into account biophysical factors. Our research represents a starting point for future applications and modelling techniques to analyze at the catchment-scale the REEs biophysical fluxes and food traceability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, feeding damage by the olive weevil Pimelocerus (Dyscerus) perforatus Roelofs, which utilizes olive trees (Olea europaea Linne) as a host plant, has become the biggest obstacle to olive cultivation in Japan. We previously identified several volatile plant-derived natural products that exhibit repellent activity against olive weevils. In this study, we conducted a pilot test of repellents in an olive orchard along with the use of insecticide. During three consecutive years from 2021 to 2023, the first year was the observation period, and the second and third years were set aside for a trial period for o-vanillin and geraniol as repellents, respectively. Using o-vanillin, the number of adult olive weevil outbreaks decreased to almost half a year in the experimental area, the use of geraniol then resulted in a drastic reduction of the number of individual olive weevils in the experimental area. In contrast, adults and larvae outbreaks increased in the control area without a repellent, despite the use of insecticide. These results indicate that the volatile repellents drove the olive weevils away and kept them at bay in the field. Based on the observations, we will be able to provide a new approach for the control of olive cultivation, including fruit and leaves used for commercial purposes, following integrated pest management (IPM) practices, such as reducing environmental poisoning from intense insecticides, and returning olive weevils to their original habitat outside of olive orchards.

Copyright of Mustafa Kemal University Journal of Agricultural Sciences / Mustafa Kemal Üniversitesi Tarım Bilimleri Dergisi is the property of Mustafa Kemal University, Faculty of Agriculture and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The trade-off between increasing agricultural production and groundwater conservation, which is often the only irrigation source in arid regions, is a major challenge for water managers, decision-makers and the scientific community. Monitoring of the water use efficiency (WUE) provides a measure of the water lost from a canopy to the atmosphere relative to the biomass produced by the plants, and can be used to inform efforts that seek to reduce irrigation without impacting upon the yield. In this study, WUE was computed as the ratio between the gross primary productivity (GPP) and the evapotranspiration (ET). Both GPP and ET can be measured at the local scale using eddy covariance (EC) systems. However, in order to spatially evaluate WUE for larger areas or regions, local measurements are rarely representative. The spatiotemporal covariation of ET, GPP and WUE remains understudied, particularly at the scale of operational agroecosystems. In this study, Sentinel-2 optical bands were used to provide high spatiotemporal resolution estimates of ET via application of the Priestley-Taylor Jet Propulsion Laboratory (PT-JPL) model. A key soil water stress constraint in PT-JPL was linked to the Modified Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (MSAVI), while estimates of the GPP were delivered via the Vegetation Photosynthesis Model (VPM). In order to evaluate the water consumption and irrigation efficiency over an irrigated plantation of very high-density olive trees, ET, GPP and WUE were computed for a 1.5 year period, covering January 2019 to June 2021. Model estimates of both ET and GPP were compared to the EC measurements, with results providing a root mean square error (RMSE) of 63.3 W/m2 and a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.74 for ET and 2.3 g C/m2/day and 0.73 for GPP, respectively. Based on these estimates, WUE was then calculated as the ratio of the GPP and ET. Relative to in situ measured data, the results were biased, with ET overestimated and GPP underestimated. An alternative measure for WUE was determined based on a linear regression model of meteorological data derived from ERA5-Land and vegetation indices derived from Sentinel-2 data. Overall, the best results were identified using an NDVI-based linear regression model, with an RMSE of 0.9 g C/Kg H 2 O and an R2 of 0.76. These results show the potential of high-resolution satellite data to assess WUE over agroecosystems, helping to overcome the limitations presented by in-situ measurements and supporting agricultural production and water resources management in water-limited regions. • Spatiotemporal patterns of ET, GPP and WUE were determined for a high-density olive tree plantation. • WUE seasonal trends suggest that the irrigation in summer exceeds the water needs in the study area. • PT-JPL model fed by sentinel-2 data provide accurate ET estimation over plot scale. • VPM-based GPP values are well correlated with EC-based GPP measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saving water resources in agriculture is a topic of current research in Mediterranean environments, and rational soil management can allow such purposes. The Beerkan Estimation of Soil Transfer parameters (BEST) procedure was applied in five olive orchards of Salento peninsula (southern Italy) to estimate the soil physical and hydraulic properties under alternative soil management (i.e., no-tillage (NT) and minimum tillage (MT)), and to quantify the impact of soil management on soil water conservation. Results highlighted the soundness of BEST predictions since they provided consistent results in terms of soil functions or capacitive-based soil indicators when (i) the entire data set was grouped by homogeneous classes of texture, bulk density, and capillarity of the soil, (ii) the predictions were compared with the corresponding water retention measures independently obtained in lab, and (iii) some correlations of literature were checked. BEST was applied to establish a comparison at Neviano (NE) and Sternatia (ST) sites. The two neighboring NT soils compared at NE showed substantial discrepancies in soil texture (i.e., sandy loam (NE-SL) or clay (NE-C)). This marked difference in soil texture could determine a worsening of the relative field capacity at the NE-SL site (relative field capacity, RFC < 0.6), as compared to NE-C where RFC was optimal. The current soil management determined a similar effect (RFC < 0.6) at Sternatia (ST-MT vs. ST-NT), but the worsening in soil properties, due to soil tillage, must be considered substantially transient, as progressive improvement is expected with the restoration of the soil structure. The results of this work suggest that strategic MT can be a viable solution to manage the soil of Salento olive orchards.

Abstract: Erosion is one of the main environmental problems affecting soil in olive orchards. The present research aims to study the protection effect against soil erosion of three different managements of pruning residues in olive orchard. The investigation was carried out in an olive orchard with a total production of 0.39 kg m−2 of dry weight of pruning residues every 2 years. These pruning were chopped and scattered in 2 m‐wide strips through three different managements. Management A, with densities of 1.56 kg m−2 distributed in all the inter‐rows of olive orchard. Management B, with densities of 3.12 kg m−2 distributed on half of the inter‐rows of olive orchard. And management C, with densities of 3.12 kg m−2 distributed on half of the inter‐rows of olive orchard, alternating this application every 2 years with another half of the inter‐rows. The influence of the residues on soil protection has been measured through the evolution of three parameters of the residues over 4 years: residues mass degradation, soil cover percentage, and spatial distribution. The results of the study have shown that the management C is the one that best protects the soil from erosion in olive orchard. This management maintains a protecting cover over inter‐rows of olive orchard above 40%, maintaining homogeneity of the cover twice as much as the management in which pruning residues are left in all inter‐rows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanization of farming operation plays an important role in improving the profitability of the agricultural sector by increasing work productivity and reducing production costs. However, the new challenges of agriculture also include the environmental issues. The choice between different alternatives to perform a determined agricultural practice should be based on reliable information, considering technical, economic and environmental aspects. Olive growing represents the most important agricultural production in the Mediterranean Basin and its mechanization, particularly harvesting, could have major impacts on the sustainability of this production. This study aims at assessing various olive-harvesting scenarios, while considering technical, economic and environmental aspects in order to build a beta version of the “olive-harvesting database”. The proposed methodology called “modular approach” could represent a useful tool to apply in unitary process assessment in order to obtain a comprehensive database of the diverse agricultural operations. The methodology was based on Life Cycle Assessment and production cost analysis. Technical performance evaluation showed that the recorded work capacities varied between 5 tons of harvested olives per day when employing mechanical harvest aids and 18 tons per day when employing trunk shakers. The economic evaluation highlighted that the harvesting costs are variable as a function of the given cost type (costs per hour, costs per kg of harvested olives and costs per hectare). The LCA revealed that mechanically aided techniques were the most sustainable ones when the functional unit is considered as one harvesting hour, although this FU is not the most suitable unit for choosing the best environmental solution. The surface and production mass units are more appropriate FUs in comparative studies, although they are strictly linked to the “work capacity”. A significant variation in the environmental performances depended on the FUs and on the average yields when the FU represented one kg of harvested olives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pupae of Bactrocera oleae (Diptera: Tephritidae) complete their development during autumn and winter in the soil, rather than in the drupe, resulting susceptible to edaphic predators. Environmentally friendly methods to control this olive pest involve the identification of its natural enemies. This study evaluated the role of Ocypus olens (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) in the predation of B. oleae pupae, by means of molecular gut content analysis. Modified dry pitfall traps were used to collect live specimens from low-input olive orchards in Tuscany (Italy). Sampling was fine-tuned with a degree-day model estimating the presence of pest pupae in the soil. PCR analyses carried out on field-collected specimens demonstrated that O. olens is a predator of B. oleae, at least during autumn. These results are consistent with predictions of the degree-day model. Knowledge on species composition, traits and complementarity of the natural enemies of B. oleae pupae needs further investigation to advance conservation biological control strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was carried out to evaluate the potential use of the two-source Shuttleworth and Wallace (SW) model to compute the intra-orchard spatial variability of actual evapotranspiration (ET) of olive trees using satellite images and ground-based climate data. The study was conducted in a drip-irrigated olive orchard using satellite images (Landsat 7 ETM+), which were acquired on clear sky days during the main phenological stages (2009/10 growing season). The performance of the SW model was evaluated using instantaneous latent heat flux (LE) measurements that were obtained from an eddy correlation system. At the time of satellite overpass, the estimated values of net radiation (Rnj) and soil heat flux (Gj) were compared with ground measurements from a four-way net radiometer and soil heat flux plates, respectively. The results indicated that the SW model subestimated instantaneous LE (W m-2) and daily ET (mm d-1), with errors of 12% and 10% of observed values, respectively. The root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) values for instantaneous LE were 26 and 20 W m-2, while those for daily values of ET were 0.31 and 0.28 mm d-1, respectively. Finally, the submodels computed Rni and Gi with errors of between 4.0% and 8.0% of measured values and with RMSE and MAE between 25 and 39 W m-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land fragmentation and dispersion hampers the optimisation of agricultural management. In this study, a methodology is proposed to quantify the extra costs to farmers caused by the spatial dispersion among agricultural parcels in their farms. The methodology proposed measures the length of the trips between parcels in the same farm, adds the inoperative periods due to the travel and then estimates the additional costs for fuel and labour. The study focuses on traditional olive cultivation in the province of Jaen, Spain, as a major crop with a highly fragmented and scattered structure. Thus, the profitability of this crop is seriously reduced so lower production costs become necessary to prevent crop abandonment. The results indicate that the dispersion of the olive parcels has a significant impact on production costs, with cases in which the expense of travel between parcels represents more than a quarter of the overall farming costs. The significant impact of the spatial dispersion of the parcels on production costs evidences the need for policies either to enlarge farm size or to encourage shared cultivation to offset the spatial scattering of olive parcels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil quality is usually assessed through the measurement of selected soil properties. However, in spite of the diversity of the chosen properties, use of the soil water retention curve, like the pressure head or the specific water capacity at the inflection point, provides relevant information of degradation or improvement of soil. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the methods based on these indices in the evaluation of short-term changes of olive cropped soils under typical Mediterranean agricultural conditions. For this reason, soil properties (bulk density, hydraulic conductivity, aggregates stability, and organic matter content) were measured in a short-term trial settled in two olive orchards under different soil managements: tillage and cover crop. Several sampling areas were also distinguished: (i) along the inter tree row and under the canopies’ projection and (ii) at 0⁻10 cm and 10⁻20 cm depth. In addition, water retention curves were determined and fitted using two models (van Genutchen’s and Kosugi’s) in order to obtain the inflection point and therefore the S index. This index is the maximum value of the slope of the soil water retention curve and is related to soil quality. At the two sites, changes in soil management, even after a brief period of two years, had a relatively quick effect, especially in organic matter content along the inter tree row. The use of indices based on soil water retention curves helps to detect soil degradation or improvement changes. Future research, including the inclusion of more soil types and longer time periods, might lead to the development of more refined tools for the assessment of soil health.