In this episode, AgroTroia's "Success in Agriculture" program was a guest at the only olive grove in the midst of a plain in İzmir Menemen's Tuzçullu village, where mostly cotton and wheat are grown. The grove's owner, Erdoğan Şendur, is a grower who realized his dream of olive cultivation on his 10-decare field inherited from his father. Zafer Dönmez from AgroTroia and agricultural engineers Yusuf, Murat and Reşat explained in this episode the key points of nutrition in the 6-year-old young olive trees, stress management due to climate change, disease-pest control and correct sapling selection.
A Grove That Realized Its Dream in İzmir Menemen
While everyone around him planted cotton, wheat and corn, Erdoğan Şendur chose to plant olives in his own field. He recounts that he first tried walnut, then gave up this choice and, after waiting two years, returned to olives. The saplings he planted after fencing his field with wire are now 6 years old, and the variety in the grove is Gemlik. According to engineer Yusuf, when the team first saw this grove three years ago the trees were quite small; thanks to the care given and the fertility of the soil, considerable progress was made in two seasons and roughly 3 tons of olives were harvested from the grove last year. Noting that no high yield target is normally set for olives until 6-7 years of age and that the real yield begins after 7-8 years, the team says that this season an average set of around 15 kilos per tree is appearing, and that, though still early, a harvest that will please the grower is on the way. Şendur states that the surrounding farmers initially found his choice odd, but that he is pleased with the work he has done.
Correct Nutrition in Young Olive Trees
AgroTroia uses 8-10 kinds of products in olives; in Erdoğan Şendur's grove, however, for two seasons they have proceeded with a more cautious program using 3-4 kinds of products, and the full transition to the main program is planned for next year. Engineer Murat explains that nutrition begins after harvest, continues with the early spring applications in February, and carries on during the development period of the fruit buds. The two applications that stand out during this period are Calcio (calcium) and Ocean. It is emphasized that calcium, by reinforcing the cell wall, encourages the buds to grow soundly, while seaweed-based Ocean reduces the stress arising from the high temperature difference between night and day. The team also reminds that the items the tree genuinely needs are recommended and that no unnecessary expense is imposed on the grower; it is stated that when correct nutrition and correct timing come together, success is inevitable.
Climate Change and Stress Management in Olives
Engineer Reşat says the biggest problem of this season is climatic anomalies. He conveys that the olive trees woke early, by roughly 20-30 days difference between this year and last year, so the fruit set and grew earlier. He notes that in regions that are very cold at night and suddenly hot in the morning, the flowers burn, and that this is experienced markedly in areas such as Savaştepe. While seaweed-based Ocean Mix is recommended in places where the day-night temperature difference is high, it is explained that when applied together with calcium nitrate-based CSO, the stress factors can be prevented. It is stated that increasing heat accelerates fruit drop, and that calcium strengthens the fruit stalks and reduces drop. It is also added that in regions where hail damage is seen, an application made within the first 36 hours with Activo and Aminado helps the wounds to close. In groves with irrigation, the use of amino acid-containing products such as Aminado through drip is recommended so that the root system works better and the plant reaches water easily.
Disease and Pest Control in Olives
Saying that with early waking and increasing heat the pests also started early, Reşat conveys that the cotton aphid has begun to be seen again, especially in the Bursa and Bandırma regions. Although the cotton aphid does not cause as much damage as the moth, it requires control because its population develops very rapidly; besides this, application with insecticides licensed by the Ministry of Agriculture is recommended against the moth and stalk-boring insects. The moth has three generations — leaf, flower and fruit; in the leaf it first opens a gallery, leads to the flowers being eaten, and in the fruit period enters the fruit and causes damage. Because the olive has set, it is stated that a Copperas application is started during this period as a preventive measure against olive anthracnose; while 1 liter per 100 liters of water is used in the bud period, in this period the dose is reduced to 500 grams per 100 liters. It is emphasized that because temperatures are rising toward 30 degrees, the peacock spot risk is behind us, since the disease peaks in the 18-23 degree band. It is added that, thanks to the organic acids and nutrient elements Copperas contains, it opens the plant's conductive tissues and also activates the shoot mechanism.
From Sapling Selection to Harvest: Correct Variety and the Orchard Doctor
In the episode, AgroTroia's new initiative Orchard Doctor and the Sapling project sponsored by AgroTroia were also introduced. Agricultural engineer Ebru, who has worked for many years in the sapling and seedling sector, explains that the project's aim is to bring the right sapling together with the right variety in the right climate and soil. She emphasizes that only certified saplings are sold, because a certified sapling is under state control and more reliable. She reminds that the interventions made during the sapling period — that is, the first two years after planting — are critical; that problems such as pruning and root errors can later become irreversible. She says that Anatolia has a wide and varied plant portfolio, so the choice of variety, graft, sapling height and soil must be made with care. At the end of the program, Zafer Dönmez shares a painful example of a grower cultivating olives at 900 m altitude in Mersin who burned all his flowers as a result of using a pesticide with the wrong active ingredient during the flowering period, underlining that the grower should not risk a year on a subject they do not know and should obtain correct consultancy.
Featured AgroTroia products in this episode
- Calcio — to strengthen the cell wall during bud development and reduce fruit drop.
- Activo — in the wound-closing application within the first 36 hours after hail damage.
- Aminado — amino acid supplement after hail and through drip, for the roots and water uptake.
- Copperas — as a preventive measure against olive anthracnose and to open the conductive tissues.
Erdoğan Şendur's grove shows how, in the midst of a cotton and wheat plain, a dream transforms into a concrete success through correct nutrition and regular follow-up. In young olives, when a patient program, timely applications against climate stress and disease-pest monitoring come together, the shoots of future seasons are also prepared from today. Production that starts with the right sapling and is sustained with correct nutrition secures both the yield and the grower's morale.
Source: AgroTroia – "Success in Agriculture" program, sponsored by AgroTroia.