The Olive tree and the phenomenon of production alternation

The olive tree is, among the tree essences characterizing the Mediterranean landscape, the predominant crop for historicity and culture. In this climatic zone, traditional “dry” olive groves very frequently present phenomena of “production alternation”; the plant produces one year yes (year of charge) and one year no (year of discharge) due to an “alternating” competition between vegetative and reproductive organs.

Responsible for the alternation are certainly environmental factors (drought, brightness, and cold) and factors related to the not-always-optimal management of the olive grove such as tillage, pruning, and/or irrigation, which can influence the flower differentiation of some gems.

The productivity of the olive grove can become “regular” by restoring the natural vegetative-productive balance: this goal can be achieved through accurate mineral nutrition and the adoption of appropriate agronomic techniques.

To increase the productivity of the olive tree, a rustic and long-lived tree species, it is necessary to maintain a high nutritional level of the plant; it is a crop greedy for nitrogen which, in order to be able to produce annually and constantly, requires nitrogenous fertilization along the production cycle.

How to intervene on the olive according to Mugavero

To intervene correctly it is necessary to know the floral biology of the olive tree and for this purpose we remember that “the induction to flower” takes place in the period of July, “the initiation of the flower buds” in the period of December/January while “the differentiation ” in the period of March. A certain number of cold days is required to induce the initiation phase of the flower buds; mild winters determine an almost uninterrupted vegetative phase, negatively affecting the subsequent phase of floral differentiation.

Soil management

As regards the fertilization of the olive grove, Mugavero offers solutions for the different company needs of soil management: MIDOTEC, AUREA, and MIREA are the three lines of “slow release” nitrogen fertilizers with different mechanisms of action to reduce losses of nitrogen by volatilization or leaching and to increase the availability of nitrogen for the plant, guaranteeing a progressive and prolonged nutritional supply over time. The choice of one line of fertilizers over another depends on the company’s operating methods: if the olive grove is managed with tillage involving the burial of the fertilizer, in this case, the use of MIDOTEC is recommended, if The olive grove is managed with “conservative” techniques of soil fertility such as minimum or zero tillage, in this other case the choice can fall on AUREA or on the more innovative MIREA line of fertilizers with double inhibitor.

Nutrition of the olive tree

Other innovative solutions in terms of foliar application are proposed by Mugavero with the aim of optimizing plant nutrition and enhancing the plant’s productive response:

1. GRAN RISERVA, a biostimulant applied by foliar application on olive trees from the “flower bud initiation” phase to the “flower differentiation” phase, satisfies the initial nitrogen requirement and supplies the “energy” necessary for the plant for subsequent flowering. It is recommended to mix with TOCUZIN, a resistance inducer, to ensure a disinfectant action of plant tissues and “increase” the plant’s resistance to cold.

2. In the flower differentiation phase, we suggest the foliar application in a mixture of MUGASOL GEL VEGETO and KELPSTAR BORO which completes the nutritional needs of the plant and significantly accelerates the cell multiplication processes. The mixture, already acidified, does not require the addition of acidifying or adhesive formulations because the gel formulation, of organic origin, guarantees adhesiveness and persistence on the leaf blade. KELPSTAR BORO favors the anthesis and maturation of the pollen tube and helps the plant to overcome any abiotic stress.

3. In pre-flowering, instead, intervene with MUGASOL GEL RADICO mixed with PETALOSO containing molybdenum: the treatment is particularly suitable for supporting flowering in periods of thermal stress, favoring fruit setting, ensuring quality production.

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L'articolo Olive tree and rational management of nitrogen according to Mugavero proviene da Mugavero.

From papaya to table grapes, up to the cultivation of one of the most requested and desired Asian plants in Italy, both for its rarity and its nutritional properties: dragon fruit (dragon fruit), or pitaya. Produced mainly by China and Vietnam, dragon fruit is produced from a high energy-efficient CAM (Crassulacean Acid Metabolism) plant, which is identified as a cactus with a drooping habit. Consequently, the production cycle of the pitaya, a very demanding crop in nutritional terms, provides for an interlayer period of 8-10 months, a practice of burying manure and straw to enrich the basically sandy soil with organic substance. The land will no longer be worked on except with mechanical grass cutting; the plants are irrigated with dripline and fertilized with urea.

Coltivazione della pitaya e del suo dragon fruit: la soluzione di Mugavero

To give life to a quality dragon fruit, Mugavero for the optimal cultivation of pitaya proposes the use of Mirea (which does not require to be buried and ensures the total absence of nitrogen losses), the line of granular fertilizers inhibited with the DOS-P Technology, which allows the synergy of two inhibitors, reducing nitrogen losses to an absolute minimum.

fertilizzante con doppio inibitore

The reason? The DOS-P Technology actually performs a double action: it slows down the transformation of Urea Nitrogen into highly volatile Ammonia by 8/12 days, inhibiting the urease enzyme and by 56/84 days the transformation of Ammonia Nitrogen into Nitrogen, highly washable, inhibiting the activity of Nitrosomonas bacteria responsible for the nitrification process. But that is not all.

To make the cultivation of pitaya excellent, Mugavero proposes another solution: the use of Upper Grow. As the dragon fruit benefits, from fruit set to harvest, from the contribution of organic matter through the leaves and roots. Therefore, being rich in potassium and vegetable amino acids, Upper Grow is proposed in the production programs of pitaya as it gives the fruit greater shelf life and increases the concentration of sugars and colour. The potassium supply helps to lower the water potential of the roots, increasing water absorption and increasing the osmotic potential of the cells. For correct use, Mugavero suggests using Upper Grow on pitaya in fertigation with regular intervals of 10 days and foliar application directly on growing fruits.

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L'articolo Mirea and Upper Grow for a ‘superior’ quality Dragon fruit proviene da Mugavero.