The ‘Bosana’ as a cultivar for intensive olive growing

From 1987 to 2000, the characteristics of 'Bosana' olive cultivar and its synonymous 'Tondo sassarese' and 'Palma' were compared with those of other 17 cultivars of the Sardinian olive germplasm. Under homogeneous and intensive production conditions, the 'Bosana' clones showed moderate vigour, with a trunk 2 cross sectional area comprised between 201.5 and 246.5 cm(2) while all cultivars showed a mean value of 312.9 cm(2). The cumulative yields of 'Bosana' clones (from 153.9 to 209.8 kg/plant) were higher than the mean of all cultivars (127.8 kg/plant). Mean fruit weight and pulp/seed ratio of the 'Bosana' clones were lower than the values of all cultivars. Even though 'Bosana' is known for its rusticity and is usually not irrigated, this cultivar showed a considerable yield increase under intensive management conditions. Pollination tests of the 'Bosana' clones are also discussed in this paper.