OLIVITECH Operational Group: Optimization of olive growing through technological and aerobiological analysis

Aerobiological and phenological studies have proven to be highly useful tools for optimizing crop production in a wide variety of crops, such as olives, as they allow for early prediction of the quantity and quality of the final product, thus achieving greater efficiency in organizing field practices and harvesting tasks. The main latitudes where olive plantations are concentrated are primarily between 30 and 40º, in both the northern and southern hemispheres, specifically in areas with a Mediterranean climate (Agustí, 2010).

Currently, the total area planted with olive trees is around 10 million hectares. Based on the estimate that each hectare of olive trees produces approximately 1 metric ton, we can state that global olive production is around 10 million tons, of which approximately 90% is used for oil production, while the remaining 10% is used as table olives. Spain has the largest area dedicated to olive cultivation worldwide. Currently, there are 2.6 million hectares in the country dedicated to its cultivation, both irrigated (approximately 500,000 hectares) and rainfed (around 2 million hectares) (MAGRAMA 2022).

Although a large number of olive trees are cultivated in Spain, their distribution across the country is very uneven, with Andalusia being the region with the largest area, covering more than half of Spain's total land area (1.5 million hectares) and exhibiting very high productivity, accounting for 80% of total Spanish production (Muñoz et al. 2004). However, olive production in Spain is not limited to this region, with similarly large areas also found in other regions such as Castile-La Mancha, Aragon, Galicia, Catalonia, etc. Currently, according to the 2021 Agricultural Statistics Yearbook, the data for olive groves in Galicia reflect a total of 289 hectares of olive tree plantations and a total production of 314 tons of oil. Lugo is the province with the largest planted area (220 hectares) and, therefore, the highest production yield (231 tons), followed by Ourense, with 42 hectares and 49 tons of production, and finally Pontevedra, with an area of 27 hectares and a production of 34 tons.