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. They allow for predicting the quantity and quality of the final product in advance, thus achieving greater efficiency in the organization of agricultural practices in the field or in harvesting tasks. The main latitudes where olive plantations are concentrated are mainly between 30 and 40°C, both in the northern and southern hemispheres, specifically in areas with a Mediterranean climate (Agustí, 2010).

Currently, the total olive plantation area is around 10 million hectares, and based on the estimate that each hectare of olive tree produces around 1 MT, 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, making Spain the country with the largest area dedicated to olive cultivation worldwide. Currently, there are 2.6 million hectares dedicated to its cultivation in the country, both irrigated (approximately 500,000 Ha) and dry (around 2 million Ha) (MAGRAMA 2022).

Although a large number of olive trees are cultivated in Spain, their distribution across the region is very uneven. Andalusia is the region with the largest area, covering more than half of Spain's surface area (1.5 million hectares) and displaying 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; larger or smaller areas can be found in other regions such as Castilla la Mancha, Aragon, Galicia, Catalonia, etc. Currently, according to the 2021 Agricultural Statistical Yearbook, olive grove data in Galicia reflect a total of 289 hectares of olive plantations and a total production of 314 tonnes of oil, with Lugo being the province with the largest plantation area (220 hectares) and, therefore, the highest production yield (231 TM), followed by Ourense, with 42 hectares and 49 TM of production, and finally, Pontevedra, with an area of 27 hectares and a production of 34 TM.