Architectural and Agronomic Evaluation of Some Wild Italian Genotypes of Olea europaea L. From Sardinia in High-Density Planting

The olive (Olea europaea L.) germplasm of the Mediterranean basin is very rich and is characterized by a huge number of cultivars, more than 1200 already identified. The aim of our study was to evaluate these genotypes to be considered for further breeding programs or eventually for direct cultivation in super-high-density (SHD) planting systems. Some spontaneous, wild, and locally neglected genotypes from Italy (Sardinia), not previously and fully described, were collected and in the Autumn of 2015, 14 genotypes were planted in Apulia (Foggia province), the main Italian region for olive growing. In 2017, 2018, and 2019, several architectural parameters of the canopy were measured, and the fruits were characterized. Results identified two possible genotypes suitable for SHD cultivation or to be included in future breeding programs. These selected genotypes showed good architectural characteristics and high average fertility index. This study showed that spontaneous, wild, and local relict genotypes can represent a huge germplasm resource to identify interesting genotypes for cultivation and parentals for breeding programs.