Selection of olive varieties for tolerance to iron chlorosis

Under certain conditions, olive trees grown on calcareous soils suffer from iron chlorosis. In the present study several olive varieties and scion-rootstock combinations were evaluated for their tolerance to iron chlorosis. Plants were grown over several months in pots with a calcareous soil, under two fertilization treatments. These consisted of periodic applications of nutrient solutions containing either, 30 micromol/L FeEDDHA or not Fe. Tolerance was assessed by the chlorosis and growth parameters of plants grown without Fe, compared to those plants grown with Fe. Results show that there are differences in tolerance among olive varieties and that tolerance is mainly determined by the genotype of the rootstock. These results open the way to use tolerant varieties for those conditions where iron chlorosis could become a problem.