May 2021

Producers can get a head start on planning for the harvest season by tracking how the extent and timing of flowering varies across their groves. In the Mediterranean region, flowering typically occurs between April and May.

Every spring olive producers carefully record the number of flowers on a sample of their trees with an important purpose in mind. The extent of flowering can be an early and strong predictor of the weight of olives at harvest in autumn with an accuracy of 60-75%.