Portuguese olive oil

Research and extension projects in Portugal

The south western part of the European continent is occupied by the country of Portugal. In Portugal, olive oil is obtained from the fruits of the olive plant and olive groves are grown all over, stretching over a total area of about 5,000 square km. till some decades back, olive oil was grown in the country mostly for domestic consumption. However, since its inclusion within the European Union, the cultivation of olive groves has been facilitated by the increased possibility of exporting the crop.

In Portugal, olive oil has ascended from being a simple crop meant for domestic consumption and is today exported in miniscule amounts world wide after the inclusion of Portugal as part of the European Union. Several newer cultivation methods and innovations along with mechanized processes have been introduced in order to increase the rate of production and produce supreme quality olives. In order to enlighten the various modes of doing so, researchers have been working extensively to ensure the means of improving the means and rates of production of olive oil in Portugal. A prominent research project which was carried out in the north eastern region of Portugal has brought to the forefront several significant findings.

The pests which affect olive production need to be checked by the use of conventional biological control by means of setting free insects which are conducive to the growth of the olive plants. But it has been discovered in course of this research that it is an expensive endeavor. Moreover while these beneficial insects have succeeded in controlling the olive black scale, they have dialed to achieve a similar success with respect to the olive flies. Such factors that cropped up during this research can play an important role now in devising means to control these problems, which would have otherwise been impossible.