Abstract

The cultivars Arbequina, Picual and Frantoio of Olea europaea are cultivated in several Mediterranean countries. In 1999, these cultivars were planted at three locations in the region of Coquimbo, an arid, Mediterranean-like area in Chile. A generalized linear modeling approach was used in view of the non-normal distribution of the agronomic data sets. Fruit yield (harvests of 2002-2003), precocity (2002) and tree survival (after four growing seasons) differed significantly between the cultivars. Arbequina and Picual had a positive effect on the yield. Picual was the earliest cultivar at two sites. The survival rate of Frantoio was high at the three sites (90-100%), as opposed to Picual (56-83%). The approach of Generalized Linear Models was particularly useful where the assumption of normality was not satisfied. The selection of cultivars is promising in this arid region of Chile, while the success will depend on the selection of well-adapted genotypes to a particular location.