The olive cultivar 'Picual' is an optimal pollen donor for 'Barnea'

- The aim of this study was to determine the optimal pollen donors for the olive cultivar 'Barnea'.
- Artificial cross-pollination of 'Barnea' flowers with the donors 'Picual', 'Coratina' and 'Askal' showed fruit set rates similar to those obtained in open-pollination.
- 'Arbequina' showed a much lower fruit set rate and self-pollination of 'Barnea' proved it to be close to self-incompatible under our conditions.
- 'Barnea' stigma was found to be receptive to pollen during the first four days after anthesis.
- Based on molecular paternity analysis, only three seeds out of 202 analyzed 'Barnea' fruits, sampled from commercial orchards, were found to be the product of self-pollination.
- 'Picual' was identified as the most frequent pollinator of 'Barnea' trees in commercial olive orchards.