Olive oil quality influenced by biostimulant foliar fertilizers

Abstract

Foliar fertilization has been used as an important tool to meet the tree nutrient demand and to be an environmental beneficial with the use of little quantities. Actually modern fruit trees physiology is focused on the stimulation of plant cell development and fruit production using biostimulants. In olive trees, few products have been used for improving oil quality. For this purpose, two biostimulants products have been tested and used simple or combined with a third product rich in nitrogen. The treatments were classified to: T1 (rich in nitrogen) and biostimulants treatments as following T2 (combination of boron, magnesium, sulfur and manganese associated with seaweed) TNi (biostimulant combining a protein extract with a calcium base), T12 (combined application of T1 and T2) and finally T12Ni (combined application of T1, T2 and TNi) with a control treatment CON (without foliar fertilization). All these foliar nutrients were sprayed during two successive years on trees issued of Chemlali cultivar cultivated in rain-fed conditions of central Tunisia. Biochemical parameters of the olive oil, like physiochemical characteristics, fatty acid profile total polyphenols, ortho-diphenols, chlorophyllic and carotenoids pigments were analyzed annually after the application of these foliar compounds. All the olive oils issued from the treatments were classified as extra virgin and the physiochemical parameters were sensitive to foliar fertilization except for some parameters. Quantitative changes were observed in the pool of the fatty acids composition and the treatment TNi (rich in Received November 21, 2019 Accepted March 11, 2020 Available on line on March 20, 2020 Released April 30, 2020