Response of Olive Trees to Different Boron Application in Izmir and Mugla Province of Turkey

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to determine the effect of boron (B) applications on the olive yield and quality in Izmir and Mugla province of Turkey. For this purpose, 254 soil and leaf samples were taken simultaneously and analyzed. After the analysis six locations with different B levels were chosen. The soil-leaf content was 0.83–12.03 mg kg⁻¹ in Milas, 0.85–14.39 mg kg⁻¹ in Seydikemer; 0.36–16.99 mg kg⁻¹ in Dikili; 0.23–16.80 mg kg⁻¹ in Odemis; 0.65–16.69 mg kg⁻¹ in Urla and 1.40–17.29 mg kg⁻¹ in Bergama, respectively. The field trials were carried out in five replicates according to the random blocks, four application types (control (C), soil (S), foliar (F), soil + foliar (S + F)). S applications (0 g B tree⁻¹; 4000 g B ha⁻¹) were done before the shoot activity, F application (0 mg B L⁻¹; 300 mg B L⁻¹) was done after harvest, before flowering, after fruit set. The F application increased yield 47% at Bergama and 75% at Odemis location. In other locations, applications are not effective statistically, but when compared with the C group, the yield values increase with F and S + F applications. It is thought that this increase of yield is very important for olive plants and it was related to the B contents of the leaves and fruits. B applications increased B content of leaves and fruits, and affected the dry matter and oil content of fruits. The results suggest that foliar B applications are effective in increasing olive yield, and application should be done at three different times after harvest, before flowering and after fruit set. Further studies on B should take the cultivar into account for a faster progress in the knowledge on B mobility in olive.

KEYWORDS:

• Application
• boron
• olive
• yield
• quality

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Tenmark BOREN Boron Research Institute by the Project “Determination of Boron Nutrition of Olive (Olea europaea L.) Trees Grown in Izmir and Mugla Regions and The Effect of Boron Fertilization on The Yield and Some Quality Parameters of Olive” “Project Kod: 2015-30-06-20-003.”

Notes on contributors

Aise Delıboran

Aise Deliboran, born in 1972 in Turkey, completed her PhD with topic “Amounts of Water, Phosphorus and Magnesium Applications on the Yield and Quality of Soybeans (Glycine max. L.) Grown in Southeast Turkey” at the University of Sanliurfa in Turkey in 2009. She carries out studies on plant nutrition, soil fertility, soil science, fertilization, image processing and machine learning, and the relationship between plant development, plant physiology, olive production waste, and evaluation. She worked at the Cukurova University, GAP Processed Food Product A.S., Harran University and GAP Agricultural Research Institute as a researcher between 1993 and 2014, respectively. Since 2014, she works at Plant Nutrient Department of Olive Research Institute/General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies/Republic of Turkey Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.