Relationships between olive yield components and simulated irradiance within hedgerows of various row orientations and spacings

Abstract

An model of distribution of irradiance within hedgerows is shown to explain well the distribution of fruit size and oil concentration, and less so fruit density, within a range of super-high density (SHD) rectangular olive hedgerow structures of various combinations of row orientation and spacing. Results reveal that profiles of fruit size, oil concentration and fruit density of the orientation and spacing experiments are best explained by simulated mean daily horizontal irradiance on the component foliage for the periods DOY (day of year) 150-180 and DOY 180-210, when fruit number is defined (i.e., flowering, fruit set and fruit drop). In all experiments, analyzed individually, relationship..