Micropropagation of olive: perspectives and new opportunities for a versatile medicinal plant

The importance of olive fruit, its oil and the leaves of the olive tree have a long history of nutritional, and medicinal uses. The great value of olive products is due to not only to its high oleic acid content but also to the presence of different families of nutraceuticals. The main protective effects on health of the olive products are provided. Recent modern techniques of propagation have been developed for olive tree which could help the diffusion of olive cultivation around the world and the growers to meet the increased demand of plants. Therefore, an overview of the most recent developments of in vitro propagation via axillary bud and somatic embryogenesis of the Olea europaea L subsp.europaea var.europaea are reported. The morphological, genetic characteristics of the micropropagated plants and the quality of oil obtained from the pressing of the olives are reported. The olive micropropagation via axillary bud can become an alternative commercial method of clonal propagation for increasing the diffusion and the production of olive cultivars and olive oil.