Soury or Sorani

Denomination and synonyms

Origin and diffusion

Origin: Tyre city in South LebanonDiffusion: North and South Lebanon

Purpose

Morphological characterisation

Molecular characterisation (SSRs)

Agronomic characterisation and commercial considerations

PhenologyStart of vegetative growth: Mid February to mid AprilFull bloom: Early March to late AprilPit hardening: Mid June to late JuneFruit turning: Mid September to late September Bio-Agronomic traitsTolerance to abiotic stress: High tolerance to droughtTolerance to biotic stress: Low tolerance to peacock eye, olive fly, olive moth and verticilliumProductivity: Medium to highSelf-compatibility: Slightly self-fertile This cultivar originated in the Lebanese town of Sour (Tyr) and now it is cultivated primarily in northern and southern Lebanon.The production, even if mostly alternant, is high. Its self-fertility is very low, therefore it requires the presence of pollinators.Together with Baladi, Soury is one of the main Lebanese cultivars. The olives are used for the production of oil and as green table olives. The oil content of the fruit is high, ranging from about 28% to 35% when expressed on fresh weight basis and 45% to 51% when expressed on dry weight basis, with harvesting from mid September to late October. The pulp/pit ratio is low (3.0- 3.5).The fruit pulp consistency is high throughout the whole ripening period. Therefore, the risk of damage, which could decrease oil quality, caused by handling the olives (harvesting, transport and storage, which, however, should not exceed 24 h, maximum 48 h) is very low.Basically, all the qualitative parameters of the oil meet the IOC trade standards for extra virgin oil. The only significant exception is represented by Δ-7-stigmastenol that sometimes had values higher than 0.5% (the maximum values allowed by IOC trade standards). This means that its content has to be carefully controlled before selling it in international markets.Considering the evolution during ripening of all data related to oil quantity and quality, the best harvesting time for the production of oil seems to be October. The oil is characterized by an oleic acid percentage around 67% and a relatively high polyphenol content (around 400 mg/kg oil).Tٍhe average fruit weight and detachment force at the suggested harvesting time (October) make this cultivar suitable for mechanical harvesting with small hand-held machines or trunk shakers (fruit detachment force/weight ratio around 1.6 N/g).The overall characteristics of this cultivar, especially the high oil content make it recommendable for the establishment of new orchards in the areas where it is cultivated by using certified plants.This datasheet information is prepared thanks to “The Italian cooperation project "Social and economic support for the families of producers in the olive – growing marginal regions of Lebanon (L’Olio del Libano)", funded by the Italian government and implemented by the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of BARI (MAI-B), with the Ministry of Agriculture of Lebanon (MoA) and the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute (LARI)”.References:Chehade A., El Bittar A., Choueiri E., Kadri A., Nabbout R., Youssef H., Smeha M., Awada A., Al Chami Z., Cavoski I., Trani A., Aly A., Piscitelli L., Bruno G., Caponio F. Gambacorta G., Famiani F., Mondelli D., Dubla E. (2012). Characterization of the main Lebanese olive germplasm. ISBN: 2 - 85352 - 493 – O