Olive behavior in the latitudinal gradient of cultivation in Argentina: GE interactions

TORRES, M.; CONTRERAS, A. C.; MAESTRI, D.; BRIZUELA, M.; SEARLES, P.; FERNANDEZ, F.; LADUX, J.; ORTIZ, J; TORO, A.; MATIAS, C.; COLICA, J.; MONTALVAN, D.; MOLINA, S.; PUERTAS, C.; TRENTACOSTE, E.; PIERANTOZZI, P.

Bariloche

Congreso; XLIII Congreso Argentino de Genética - IV Reunión Regional SAG-La Pampa Patagonia; 2014

Arauco is the only olive cultivar recognized from Argentina by the International Olive Oil Council. The morphological differentiation and the specific characteristics of olive oil can be affected by environmental and genetic factors. The argentine map of olive-growing areas covers a broad spectrum of regions with climate and soil conditions very different. Moreover, the local nurseries propagate their material from cuttings of orchards over 70-year-old. This could cause a large varietal polymorphism, presenting in many cases a marked predominance of varietal populations, with an average behavior and dispersion in characteristic parameters. The aims of this study were to evaluate: a) genetic intra-cultivar diversity by microsatellites markers; b) morphological, agronomic and phenological parameters; c) oil chemical composition of ?Arauco? accessions throughout the latitudinal gradient of cultivation in Argentina. The field experiment was conducted at the Catamarca (C), La Rioja (LR), San Juan (SJ) and Mendoza (M) provinces during 2011/12 and 2012/13 growing seasons. We observed an advance in the phenology in warmer areas (C and LR), which include the timing of flowering, stone hardening and fruit maturation. Oleic acid content, total phenols and oxidative stability were higher in the regions of LR, SJ and M with respect to C area. Regarding molecular analysis, a low level of polymorphism among accessions was evidenced. From a physiological perspective, these data would reflect the phenotypic plasticity of theArauco grown under contrasting environments in Argentina.