Desert Olive Oil Cultivation: Advanced Biotechnologies

Due to the adverse stress conditions typical of olive cultivation in desert conditions, the olive tree is responding with production of high levels of antioxidant substances. Among these substances are polyphenols, tocopherols, and phytosterols. Studies have shown that saline irrigated varieties of olives have demonstrated advantages over those irrigated with tap water. This is just one of the aspects of desert cultivation of olives that is covered in Desert Olive Oil Advanced Biotechnologies. Based on 20 years of research, the book expounds on the appropriate selection of olive varieties with high productivity and oil quality, the impact of foliar nutrition on decreasing alternate bearing and increasing fruit quality, improving efficiency of mechanical harvesting, and increasing efficiency of oil extraction and oil quality regulating analysis. Key Features: *Closes the knowledge gap on the cultivation of olives in semi-arid environments, including new irrigation techniques, extending vegetative growth and development period, choosing proper genetic plant material, and orchard design, pre- and post-harvest most advanced bio-methodologies, including image processing and low-resolution NMR and quality analysis of semi-arid environmentally produced olive oil *Focuses on intensive cultivation using saline and municipal waste recycled irrigation water in desert conditions, factors that significantly affect the production and nutritional values of olive oil *Explores triglyceride composition and the high levels of antioxidant substances, including polyphenols, tocopherols, and phytosterols being seen in olive trees grown in adverse conditions *Includes real-world test-case demonstrations of tradition vs. bio-olive oil production in desert conditions.