Effective pollination period estimation in olive (Olea europaea L.): a pollen monitoring application

This investigation was carried out to consider the role of the effective pollination period (EPP) in the reproductive process of a typical perennial plant species of the Mediterranean area, the olive (Olea europaea L.). The analyses utilized the relationships between yearly olive fruit production and daily pollen emissions recorded through aerobiological methods and grouped in specific clusters of flowering days. The results identified, for the olive cultivars in the studied area, a 4-day period as being important for pollination. This flowering day cluster was considered as the more useful olive EPP estimator. Moreover, it was evaluated as a possible climate change indicator in comparison to other pollen indices but the results showed it was not useful for this specific purpose.