Olive ripening and harvest time in portuguese cultivars of “Beira Interior“ region

Abstract

Portuguese growers of “Beira Interior”, an inland region in the centre of Portugal, start harvesting olives only in late November or December and finish in January and sometimes February. Studies on olive ripening carried out in different groves showed that, in general, oil content (% d.w.) stabilises during November and ripening index rises regularly throughout the sampling period. However, there were some differences among cultivars. The results suggest that harvest can begin from mid- -October to the 1st fortnight of November, according to location, for ‘Galega’, in the 1st fortnight of December for ‘Bical’, in the 1st fortnight of November for ‘Carrasquinha‘ and in the 2nd fortnight of November for ‘Cornicabra’, therefore harvest time should begin long before the traditional time.