anybody familiar with olive cross pollenation ?

[pippo]

Hi people,

 

I figured Id try posting here before perhaps another site- Olives traditionally need another tree to cross pollenate or you will get no fruit. (recently, self pollenating trees have been "bred", though). My only question is: If one clones another tree from say, the mother tree, then wait a few years for growth, would those then 2 trees cross pollenate effectively or does it HAVE to be another individual tree (with different genetics, of course) to pollenate?

 

(I clone olive trees from snipping the tips of twigs. difficult, but I figured out the trick. Now, only need to know if all these clones are useless with each other. If so, no big problem- I'll just clone a bunch from another parent then intermix all of the trees)

 

Thanks!

[Psycho]

If what you say is true then then the reason cross pollination is required is due to mixing of genes creating greater diversity and therefore greater resistance to disease, drought etc.

 

If that is true then gametes from the clones of the tree will be viewed as coming from the same tree and won't pollinate, that is assuming the mechanism is genetically based, which it most likely is due to the way pollen spores form gametes.

 

Personally I would think it would be better for you to clone 5-6 of trees preferable the ones with the best phenotypic qualities and grow them, to allow diversity and mixing of the best genes.

 

What actually I find more interesting is how the pollen knows that it's its own, does anyone know if the genetic mechanism for this has been elucidated?

Edited October 23, 2011 by Psycho

[pippo]

If what you say is true then then the reason cross pollination is required is due to mixing of genes creating greater diversity and therefore greater resistance to disease, drought etc.

 

If that is true then gametes from the clones of the tree will be viewed as coming from the same tree and won't pollinate, that is assuming the mechanism is genetically based, which it most likely is due to the way pollen spores form gametes.

 

Personally I would think it would be better for you to clone 5-6 of trees preferable the ones with the best phenotypic qualities and grow them, to allow diversity and mixing of the best genes.

 

What actually I find more interesting is how the pollen knows that it's its own, does anyone know if the genetic mechanism for this has been elucidated?

 

Good points psych. Now, I have to give deeper thought than I first expected. Since posting this, I learned (maybe it applied here) olives are either hermaphrodite or non. Too much mystery for me to unravel in a day or 2. In southern mediterranean, it is common acceptance that olives produce every other year, and not understood well why (ag engineers probably DO understand).

 

Man, I have to iron this out before I spend years nurturing my trees, then planting them, only to learn I planted them in the wrong place/wrong genetics. Best bet otherwise is to mix up types, and make sure I dont place incompatable trees, as there are types that will never cross, period, believe it or not.