OLIVE CULTIVARS' ADAPTABILITY TO CLIMATE IN SOUTHERN ITALY

Objective of this work is the evaluation, in quantitative terms, of the adaptability of eleven olive cultivars to future climate in a composite (hills and plains) area of Southern Italy (Valle Telesina, Campania Region, about 20.000 ha). The yield response of the cultivar to soil water availability has been characterized using experimental data unpublished and data from scientific literature. Cultivar-specific threshold values of two deficit indicators were identified, above which yield reduction is economically unacceptable. For each cultivar, the critical values were compared with the values of indicators calculated for reference (1961-1990) and future (2021-2050) climate. We assessed that eight cultivars will be compatible with predicted climate change in a small part of the study area, Manzanilla fina will not be compatible, while the Cobrancosa and Picual cultivars will do so in the whole area.