8st Semester Outlines

Course Content

Lectures

1. History of olive growing; anthropocene cultivation practices origin and classification of olive tree; economic data and projection for olive table fruits and olive oil at local and international stage.
2. Morphology and taxonomy of olive tree; bud induction, differentiation and flowering; pollination and fruit setting; alternate bearing; structure and synthesis of olive fruit.
3. Climate and soil condition requirements for olive culture.
4. Olive propagation.
5. Olive orchard establishment.
6. Prunning
7. Irrigation techniques in olive orchards – Water management and stress indicators.
8. Olive tree nutrition; arid soils and soil salinity management for olives.
9. Varieties; fruit maturity; harvest planning techniques and technology
10. Olive oil mill technology, management and qualitative productivity standards.
11. Pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical metabolites in olive orchards.
12. Weed control and crop protection of olive trees; biological and IPM management plans.
13. Contemporary issues on olive culture.

Laboratory exercises

1. Characteristics of olive tree varieties; Management and development of patents in entrepreneurial olive culture.
2. Modes of olive tree propagation; nursery startup and operational business plans.
3. Phenotype plasticity in olive orchards; identification tools for olive plant material discrepancies.
4. Postharvest technology in olives. Estimating yield loss due to environmental factors.
5. Olive culture and environmental protection; circular economy in olive culture and fruit production.
6. Research and discovery business plans for olive biopharmaceuticals.