OLIVE CULTIVARS' ADAPTABILITY TO CLIMATE IN SOUTHERN ITALY

Objective of this work is the evaluation, in quantitative terms, of the adaptability of eleven olive cultivars to future climate ina composite (hills and plains) area of Southern Italy (Valle Telesina, Campania Region, about 20.000 ha). The yield responseof the cultivar to soil water availability has been characterized using experimental data unpublished and data from scientificliterature. Cultivar-specific threshold values of two deficit indicators were identified, above which yield reduction iseconomically unacceptable. For each cultivar, the critical values were compared with the values of indicators calculated forreference (1961-1990) and future (2021-2050) climate. We assessed that eight cultivars will be compatible with predictedclimate change in a small part of the study area, Manzanilla fina will not be compatible, while the Cobrancosa and Picualcultivars will do so in the whole area.