Coratina

Denomination and synonyms

Origin and diffusion

This cultivar has likely derived from the varieties Frantoio and Lezze. It is the most important Italian variety, widely cultivated in the Puglia region, where it covers a surface of 70,000 ha, 60,000 ha in Bari province and 10,000 ha in Foggia province, but significantly present also in the other provinces. It is widespread also in other Italian regions and in other countries where olive growing was recently introduced.

Purpose

Morphological characterisation

Molecular characterisation (SSRs)

Agronomic characterisation and commercial considerations

Variety with medium high rooting ability by cutting (40%). The entry into production is medium-early and its productivity is medium (cumulative production at the fifth year: 17,4 Kg). It has an early flowering and the rate of self-fertility is low, with low ovary abortion (~13%). The fruit veraison and olive oil accumulation are late and scalable. This cultivar shows a medium-low fruit detachment force which facilitates mechanical harvesting. It is highly appreciated for its high oil yield, variable from 20% to 23%, related to the harvesting period. Coratina oil shows a high content of oleic acid (77%) and total phenols. Overall, sensorial and compositional characteristics of Coratina oil are excellent. It is considered tolerant to cold, highly susceptible to olive fruit fly, medium susceptible to olive leaf spot and low susceptible to olive knot. Thanks to its medium-early bearing, good productivity, high oil content, excellent oil quality, and many other good traits, this variety can certainly be defined as a highly valuable cultivar and a wider diffusion is recommended. References Mousavi S., Stanzione V., Mariotti R., Mastio V., Azariadis A., Passeri V., et al. (2022). Bioactive compound profiling of olive fruit: the contribution of genotype. Antioxidants, 11(4), 672. Belaj A., Ninot A., Gómez-Gálvez F. J., El Riachy M., Gurbuz-Veral M., Torres M., et al. (2022). Utility of EST-SNP markers for improving management and use of olive genetic resources: A case study at the Worldwide Olive Germplasm Bank of Córdoba. Plants, 11(7), 921. Perri E., Zelasco S., Benincasa C., Vizzarri V., Carbone F., Lo Feudo G., Salimonti A., Romano E., Pellegrino M., Godino G., Zaffina F., Rizzo M., Santilli E. 2022. Il germoplasma olivicolo del campo collezione del CREA Centro di Ricerca Olivicoltura, Frutticoltura e Agrumicoltura, sede di Rende. ISBN 9788833852027 Lombardo N., Madeo A., Muzzalupo I., Alessandrino M., Belfiore T., Ciliberti A., Godino G., Pellegrino M., Rizzuti B., Perri E., Mazzotti F., Russo A., Salerno R., Parise A., Noce M.E., 2004. Contributo alla caratterizzazione del germoplasma olivicolo pugliese. Regione Puglia - Assessorato Agricoltura e Foreste, Unione Europea, Istituto Sperimentale per la Olivicoltura, Rende (CS): pp. 114.