Agromorphological characterization of mother plants of the “olive” Olea europaea (Oleaceae) germplasm bank in the Tacna region

Abstract

In  Peru,  the  olive  tree  is  cultivated  for  the  production  of  oil  and  /  or  olives,  with  sustainable  growth  and  development,  supported  by  agronomic  improvements,  incorporation  of  capital  and  productive improvement. Olive production is mainly concentrated in the south of the country, with the  Tacna  region  being  the  fastest  growing  area,  especially  in  the  areas  of  La  Yarada,  Los  Palos,  Magollo and Sama. Therefore, the olive industry requires higher production cultivars, which implies that only commercial varieties are cultivated, while the less commercial ones are restricted, hence the importance of conservation, because several adaptive traits could be used in genetic improvement. In  this  context,  the  olive  germplasm  bank  was  implemented  in  the  Tacna  Agrarian  Experimental  Station, the objective of this research was to carry out the agromorphological characterization of the mother plants of the olive germplasm bank. The results obtained in the evaluation of fruit, endocarp, leaf and tree in 34 mother plants, are adjusted to the representative characteristics of the varieties in  question.  The  statistical  result  showed  that  the  endocarp  is  the  characteristic  with  the  highest  discriminant and heritable power. The possibility of two synonyms was assumed, one between the Cornezuelo and Cornicabra varieties, the second between Arauco and Sevillana Tacneña, however, the authors recommend carrying out molecular characterization to rule out this possibility. Finally, it is necessary to carry out evaluations in the corresponding accessions of the germplasm bank.