Quality trees decrease management costs and tree maintenance, bear fruit earlier and therefore increase profits
At Modern Olives our aim is to produce the best olive trees for your grove. We have developed our nursery production systems in consultation with the olive industry and by carrying out extensive research to produce quality trees.
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VARIETY:
Picual
ORIGIN:
Spain
PURPOSE:
Oil
Picual is a medium vigor tree with a spreading and dense canopy. It comes into production early. In Australia it has started to bear heavy commercial crops before most other varieties. It shows constant and high productivity and is very hardy. The Picual variety represents about 90% of the olive trees planted in the Jaen region of Andalucía , Spain , the largest olive growing area in the world.
Fruit shape is oval and curved with a nipple on the end. Both oil content and yield are high. The fruit ripens mid to late season. During the first years, fruits tend to be larger than normal and they are highly rated for pickling as black olives for the firmness of their flesh.
The oil yield of Picual is high, although it is known to be variable in the first years. The oil is of good quality with a very particular character and extraordinarily high stability. Picual oil is often blended with other oils that have low stability.
Picual is highly rated for its early start to bearing and its high productivity. The fruit has low attachment making it suitable for mechanical harvesting. It is tolerant of cold, salinity and excess soil moisture. Picual is self-compatible, and in Australia is proving to be a good pollinator for a number of other varieties. Picual is a hardy variety and adapts well to different climates and soil conditions. It is sensitive to verticillium wilt and peacock spot.
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VARIETY:
Manzanillo
ORIGIN:
Spain
PURPOSE:
Table
Manzanillo is one of the most widespread varieties in the world. There is over 50,000 hectares of this variety in the province of Seville . It is also grown in America , Portugal , Israel , Argentina and Australia . It is the one of the most highly rated table olive varieties in the world. Manzanillo is a low vigor variety with a spreading and medium dense canopy. It has an early start to bearing and its productivity is high but alternate.
The fruit ripens early and is usually harvested green for processing, but is suitable for almost all styles of table olive processing. The fruit is of medium size and is spherical in shape and has a high removal force.
Manzanillo has medium oil content but is high quality. Can be very hard to extract, especially when fruit has high moisture content.
Manzanillo is sensitive to cold and very sensitive to Verticillium wilt and Peacock spot. In Spain it is grown without pollinators but in California , Israel and now Australia we know that it needs cross pollination. Manzanillo has been widely planted in Australia , with high expectations placed on it, especially for the production of olive oil, which it will find hard to achieve, as it is primarily a table variety.
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VARIETY:
Leccino
ORIGIN:
Tuscany, Italy
PURPOSE:
Oil
The Leccino variety accounts for about 16% of the oil grown in Tuscany, and thus is one of that region’s main varieties. Leccino is a vigorous tree with a dense canopy. It adapts easily to various olive growing environments.
Fruit shape is oval and medium sized. The fruit ripens simultaneously from the tip end first and ripening is early in the season. This allows the fruit to be picked early without loss of yield.
Leccino is well known for the quality and character of the oil it produces. The oil content is medium and lower than Frantoio. High moisture content at processing makes extraction less efficient. The oil is superbly balanced and palatable fresh of the press without the harsh bitterness associated with some oils. In Tuscany it is often blended with Frantoio.
Leccino is highly productive, with a compact fruit ripening period. The tree resists low temperatures, wind, fog, olive knot, and fungals, especially peacock spot. Foliage is silver green, leaf size is medium small. The trees growth habit is upright. Has low quality pollen so must have cross-pollination to ensure fruit set. In Tuscany it is usually planted with Frantoio and Pendolino.
This variety is successfully established in many countries including Argentina , Israel and New Zealand , particularly in the coldest regions. It is one of the hardiest of all the commercial varieties in the world. However, a lower than normal performance has been observed in some of the hottest areas in the new olive world.
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VARIETY:
Koroneiki
ORIGIN:
Greece
PURPOSE:
Oil
Koroneiki is the main oil variety in Greece. The tree has medium to low vigor with a spreading and sparse canopy. It comes into production early and its productivity is high and constant. It has a medium rooting ability and is sometimes grafted.
The fruit is ovoid and small, (approx 1-2 grams) and so harvesting by shaker will be limited. Koroneiki ripens in the early to middle of the season.
The oil content of Koroneiki is high and is rated highly. The oil has a high level of oleic acid and is very stable.
Koroneiki flowers early and produces abundant pollen but should be planted with pollinators. This variety is resistant to drought but does not tolerate cold. It is resistant to peacock spot and moderately resistant to verticillium wilt.
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VARIETY:
Hojiblanca
ORIGIN:
Spain
PURPOSE:
Dual
Hojiblanca is the third most planted variety in Spain behind Manzanillo and Picual. It is a true dual-purpose variety. It is rated highly as a table fruit and produces excellent quality olive oil. Hojiblanca has medium to high vigor and an erect medium to dense canopy. It has an intermediate start to bearing with high productivity, but is prone to alternate bearing. Hojiblanca is also tolerant of calcareous soils.
The fruit is large and oval shaped without a nipple. Its time of ripening is late and it has a high attachment force, which may hinder harvesting using a shaker. The fruit is considered well suited for the Californian black style process because of its firm texture.
Hojiblanca has a low oil yield but the oil is rated very highly.
Hojiblanca is susceptible to peacock spot and verticillium wilt. The variety is considered hardy, as it is drought resistant and tolerant to cold.
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VARIETY:
Frantoio
ORIGIN:
Tuscany, Italy
PURPOSE:
Oil
Frantoio is of medium vigor and has a drooping medium dense canopy. It has an intermediate start to bearing, a constant and high productivity and is renowned for its adaptability. The Frantoio variety is the main variety of Tuscany and famous throughout the world.
The fruit is oval shaped of medium size without a nipple and many small lenticels. The fruit ripens late in the season and is phased; however oil accumulation is much earlier with an early to intermediate harvest period.
Frantoio produces exceptionally high quality olive oil that is highly regarded around the world. The oil is well balanced and fruity and has good stability. It is also easy to process.
Frantoio is highly productive with consistently heavy yields. Frantoio is sensitive to cold and peacock spot. Foliage is a deep green colour. Frantoio has good quality pollen but benefits from cross-pollination to maximise production. In Tuscany it is usually planted with Leccino and cross pollinated with Pendolino.
This variety is established in more countries than any other. Frantoio is the world’s best known oil producing olive and well renowned for the flavour of oil that it produces. Its performance in some of the warmer areas of Australia is yet to be proved.
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VARIETY:
Coratina
ORIGIN:
Italy
PURPOSE:
Oil
Coratina is one of the most important Italian varieties, especially favoured in the area of Puglia, the largest olive growing area of Italy. This variety adapts very well to different growing environments and conditions.
The fruit is large and oval with no nipple and many small lenticels. The fruit ripens evenly and late in the season. In some years it is also suitable for green table olives.
Coratina produces very high quality oil with high levels of polyphenols making it very stable. In Italy the oil produced from Coratina is intensely fruity and pungent. Interestingly these sought after oil characteristics are present in oils produced from Coratina in completely different growing areas like Argentina.
Coratina comes into bearing very early and productivity is high and constant. This variety has shown some susceptibility to sooty mold. Coratina is tolerant of cold and in some areas of its native Italy it is planted as a pollinator; however Coratina should be planted with other varieties for cross-pollination.
This variety will be extremely useful for groves wanting to lengthen their harvesting period as it ripens latter than just about all other varieties.
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VARIETY:
Arbequina
ORIGIN:
Spain
PURPOSE:
Oil
Arbequina is one of the main varieties planted in Spain and has been widely planted in Argentina where it is one of the most productive varieties. The tree is hardy, has low vigor and a spreading medium to dense canopy. It comes into production early and has high and constant production.
Barnea was bred for oil production but can be used for green or black table olives. The fruit is medium sized, not dissimilar to Kalamata in appearance. It is elongated with a nipple and many large lenticels. Barnea is a very productive variety and the fruit has a low attachment facilitating mechanical harvesting. The fruit ripens early to intermediate.
The oil content is medium to high and it is relatively easy to extract. The character of the oil is mild and smooth and provides the opportunity to blend with oil from other varieties. Initial harvests in Australia of oil from this variety have been very well received wining prizes at many oil shows in Australia and Italy. The smooth and subtle character of Barnea is one that consumers not accustomed to the bitter and more pungent character oils will be able to appreciate.
Barnea was bred in Israel specifically for modern olive production methods. Its responds extremely well to irrigation and comes into production early in its life. Because of its erect growth habit it suitable to be planted slightly closer together than other varieties. In Israel the Barnea produces commercial returns in year three. In Australia Barnea needs cross-pollination to maximise fruit set. Picholine is the preferred pollinator in Israel; however in Australia we have seen good results with Picual and Manzanillo as well. Barnea is not as tolerant to certain adverse conditions as some other varieties. Barnea is particularly tolerant of peacock spot but is sensitive verticillium wilt and frosts.
Care is taken throughout the production stages to develop well structured dynamic roots. Modern Olives implement strict pest and disease management and quality control systems and are accredited for western flower thrips, Argentine ant and potato cyst nematode freedom.
We can organise freight and prompt delivery to all states in Australia.
From selection of propagation material through to final grading and dispatch to customers we aim to produce the best quality tree for your grove. We believe that the extra care and time that we spend at each production stage results in a better olive tree for our customers.
The results are evident in the growth of individual trees.
Unfortunately many growers in Australia who planted trees in the last eight years purchased and planted trees that were not suitable or up to standard. Only now are they realising the extent of their problems. It is cheaper and easier to do it right the first time.
Email the Nursery directly at nursery@mo.emporiumdigital.com.au if you have any nursery related questions.
Comments
Picual is performing outstandingly in many areas of Australia . During 2002 harvesting season, 20,000 32-monthold trees in a grove in northern Victoria have achieved an average of 15 kilograms per tree or just over 6 tonnes per hectare.