Prediction of Flowering Time in Olive for the Cordoba Olive Collection

Abstract

The date of full bloom for olive (Olea europaea L.) tree varieties planted in the World Collection in Córdoba, Spain, has been determined from 10 years of data. The full bloom dates were analyzed using three methods to develop a model predicting flowering time. The method of heat units accumulated before flowering was the most accurate. The heat accumulation periods were determined from phenological and temperature data. Prediction methods were evaluated for the earliest-flowering variety, a model variety representing the mean values for the collection, and the latest-flowering variety. The most appropriate threshold temperature for heat accumulation has been confirmed to be 12.5C; it can be used to predict the flowering time in olive.