We have fully entered a new period, the period of climate change. Tree crops are among the crops affected by these changes as they rely on specific temperature patterns that trigger flowering and fruiting.
The Rajasthan Olive project was launched in 2007, and by 2008, the execution of 7 sites was completed. Seven varieties of Olea Europea have been introduced and cultivated in seven locations, ranging from Santhu (25°24’38”N, 72°30’13”E) in the south to Barore (29°21’04”N, 73°14’47”E) in the north.
The Rajasthan Olive project serves as an excellent example of introducing a new crop to various climate zones.
Introducing Olive cultivation to a different climate zone is a comprehensive task; it requires testing and evaluating every aspect of crop management.
Most of Rajasthan desert characterized by low annual precipitations (150-350mm during the monsoon season June-September), extreme temperatures during April July (45- 49C°), cool short & moderate winters, with occasional event of temperatures drops below 0 C°
The shorts winters (November to February) are marginal for olive buds’ differentiation.
During the early stages of the project, we have achieved excellent flowering across four varieties: cv Arbequina, cv barnea, cv Coratina and cv Koroneiki. Cv Picholine exhibited less flowering, while the other varieties showed only minimal flowering in the northern farms and no flowering on the southerners’ farms.
Although cultivation Olives in Rajasthan is different than in most olive growing regions a challenge, yet after 14 years we can conclude that olives, while using specific crop management methods, could adapt well and even thrive in Rajasthan desert.
