Mechanical harvesting at dawn in a super-high-density table olive orchard: effect on the quality of fruits.

BACKGROUND: Mechanical harvesting with over-the-row harvesters in super-high-density (SHD) table olive orchards increases the effectiveness of fruit removal, although bruising can limit the fruit quality. Additionally, an early harvest in periods less favourable to quality production is increasingly frequent as a result of global warming. The present study explores the impact on olive quality of harvesting at dawn when the environmental temperature is low. The study was carried out for 2 years on two cultivars with different tolerance to bruising ('Manzanilla de Sevilla' and 'Manzanilla Cacereña'), grown in SHD conditions and harvested at two timepoints: dawn and morning. RESULTS: Fruit morphology was not modified by the moment of harvest in either of the cultivars. Fruit harvested at dawn produced less CO2 and ethylene and was less damaged externally and internally compared to fruit harvested in the morning. However, environmental conditions throughout development influenced the response because the highest values of bruising (incidence, area and volume of damaged area), total internal damage and the number of tissue ruptures increased in the year with the hottest summer, and the differences between harvest treatments were less evident. CONCLUSION: Mechanical harvesting at dawn contributes to reducing the damage in olive fruit. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Calcium applications throughout fruit development enhance olive quality, oil yield, and antioxidant compounds' content.

BACKGROUND: Calcium is a preservative and firming agent largely used in the table olive industry. Foliar applications of calcium (as calcium chloride, CaCl2 ) before harvest have been proposed in other fruits to increase firmness and reduce physiological disorders or internal damage. However, there is still a shortage of information regarding the source, the concentration, the number, and the period of calcium application onto the canopy to get an effective response of olive quality. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of two concentrations of CaCl2 foliar treatments (0.5% and 1.0%), applied at different stages of fruit development (at the end of fruit set, end of pit hardening, and prior to harvesting), on olive quality for two varieties ('Manzanilla de Sevilla' and 'Ascolanta tenera'), cultivated in two different geographical areas (Spain and Italy respectively). RESULTS: The calcium concentrations applied enhanced the fruit calcium content and decreased sodium and potassium. They also improved the mechanical properties without modifying fruit morphology or cuticle thickness; nor did they cause phytotoxicity. Foliar treatments increased the oil content in the pulp (dry weight basis) and the amount of hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, and oleuropein, among other phenols. CONCLUSION: Calcium foliar applications during fruit development effectively increase olive quality. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

High-Throughput System for the Early Quantification of Major Architectural Traits in Olive Breeding Trials Using UAV Images and OBIA Techniques.

The need for the olive farm modernization have encouraged the research of more efficient crop management strategies through cross-breeding programs to release new olive cultivars more suitable for mechanization and use in intensive orchards, with high quality production and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. The advancement of breeding programs are hampered by the lack of efficient phenotyping methods to quickly and accurately acquire crop traits such as morphological attributes (tree vigor and vegetative growth habits), which are key to identify desirable genotypes as early as possible. In this context, an UAV-based high-throughput system for olive breeding program applications was developed to extract tree traits in large-scale phenotyping studies under field conditions. The system consisted of UAV-flight configurations, in terms of flight altitude and image overlaps, and a novel, automatic, and accurate object-based image analysis (OBIA) algorithm based on point clouds, which was evaluated in two experimental trials in the framework of a table olive breeding program, with the aim to determine the earliest date for suitable quantifying of tree architectural traits. Two training systems (intensive and hedgerow) were evaluated at two very early stages of tree growth: 15 and 27 months after planting. Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) were automatically and accurately generated by the algorithm as well as every olive tree identified, independently of the training system and tree age. The architectural traits, specially tree height and crown area, were estimated with high accuracy in the second flight campaign, i.e. 27 months after planting. Differences in the quality of 3D crown reconstruction were found for the growth patterns derived from each training system. These key phenotyping traits could be used in several olive breeding programs, as well as to address some agronomical goals. In addition, this system is cost and time optimized, so that requested architectural traits could be provided in the same day as UAV flights. This high-throughput system may solve the actual bottleneck of plant phenotyping of "linking genotype and phenotype," considered a major challenge for crop research in the 21st century, and bring forward the crucial time of decision making for breeders.

[Differences in cesarean sections between spontaneous and induced labour]. / Diferencias en el número de cesáreas en los partos que comienzan espontáneamente y en los inducidos.

BACKGROUND: The induction of labour (IOL) may be associated with complications for pregnant women. The aim was to assess the differences in the number of caesarean sections between spontaneous or induced labour. METHODS: Historical groups from 841 women with induced labour and 2,534 women with an spontaneous onset of labour over a three- year period (from 2009 to 2011). They were carried out in "Mancha Centro" Hospital (Alcázar de San Juan). It was used a multivariate analysis through binary logistic regression to control confounding variables. RESULTS: The prevalence of IOL was 22,9%. The most frequent indications were: Premature Rupture of Membranes (22,7%), bad- controlled Diabetes (22,5%). It was reported a relation between induced labour and cesarean section risk due to parity (nulliparous OR= 2.68, IC 95%: 2.15- 3.34 and multiparous OR= 2.10, IC 95%: 1.72- 2.57). Postterm pregnancy (37,1%), pathological monitor (35.3%) and hypertensive diseases of pregnancy (34%) reported the highest risks of cesarean section. The IOL was related to other factors: a long- time length first -stage of labour (OR= 6.00; IC 95%: 4.02- 8.95), use of epidural analgesia (OR= 3.10; IC 95%: 2.24- 4.29) and blood transfusion needs (OR= 3.33; IC 95%: 1.70- 9.67). CONCLUSION: Independently of parity, The IOL increases the risk to: have a longer duration first- stage, use epidural analgesia, need a blood transfusion and have a cesarean section. This relation is stronger when induction is due to postterm pregnancy, pathological monitor or hypertensive diseases. No relation was found among induced labour and second- stage duration, episiotomy, perineal tears, excessive blood loss or uterine rupture.