Organizzazione vivaistica e certificazione

Abstract

Revival of the olive growing sector in Italy, which needs to focus on the development of native genetic resources and a reduction in production costs, must address the updating of nursery management. In the near future, this production sector will almost certainly be needed to satisfy demand – in a market which is increasingly globalized and diversified – with various types of plants suited to different environmental and growth conditions. Adopting a nursery management technique which would enable the nursery to meet sudden, high demand for certified plant material, as specified by EU (Dir CEE 92/34 e 93/48) and national (D.M. 20/11/2006) regulations, at sustainable costs, would certainly help towards revitalizing the whole olive industry. However, it is first necessary to develop plant production systems which are flexible and reliable, and which do not depend upon the traditional technique of grafting onto seedlings, often of uncertain genetic origin and in a state of unknown health. Improvements in the efficiency of self-rooting techniques (under mist or in vitro conditions) which, on a commercial level, currently only focus on cultivars, will most probably be extended to include clonal rootstocks, which, as occurred in other tree growing sectors (fruit growing, vine-growing, citrus fruit growing) will be chosen according to specific agronomic characteristics. Of fundamental technical important is the development of production lines of plant material grown on clearly-defined artificial substrates which are able to sustain plant growth in the nursery, withstand even long periods of transport, and overcome stress following planting in the field. It is essential these properties are maintained even when plants are grown in small containers; an aspect which helps lower the costs of production and transport but which can also lead to abiotic and biotic stress. In response to the abovementioned stress factors, today, an important opportunity is the adoption of sterile substrates, which are low cost and do not harm the environment, by exploiting natural symbiotic relationships. Mycorrhiza technologies can have a marked effect on tolerance levels to abiotic stress; a problem to which young plants are particularly susceptible when in the nursery and following planting into the field. This manual includes infrastructures and equipment which are essential for a nursery, and management practices a nursery needs to adopt in order to satisfy demand for certified plant material (genetic and health certification); demand which is constantly increasing on the world market.