Air Temperature on Reproductive Development of Olive Cultivars

Abstract The air temperature is the meteorological variable that most influences the reproductive development of the olive tree. The knowledge of the effects of the air temperature is important to optimize the management strategies and to choose the cultivars are more adapted to climatic condition. The thermal time (STa, ºC.day) was used to identify the influence of temperature on three subperiods of reproductive development (flowering, fruit ripening and maturation) in ten olive cultivars, and to estimate the base temperature (Tb, °C) to STa. The data used refer to the variables beginning, end and duration (in days) for the agricultural years 2008/2009,2009/2010 and 2010/2011, cultivated in Maria da Fé, MG (22° 18’ 50” S, 45° 22’ 23” W, 1276 m). There was variation of Tb and STa values between cultivars and subperiods of reproductive development. Tb’s varied for flowering: 7.8 °C to 16.1 °C, fruit ripening: 13.3 °C to 14.3 °C, and maturation: 7.1 °C to 17.2 °C. The fruit ripening is the subperiod that needs greater thermal time, independently of olive cultivars.