Determining the Age of Olive Trees through Morphometric Methods

Olive groves in Albania make up 20 % of the surface encompassing several centennial trees. The history of their domestication represents a mixture of the mediterranean basin with the interference of wild and partially wild olives. Morphological and statistical indices were modelled during the period of 2013-2014 to estimate the growth rhythms of the trunk and the neck in order to determine the age of the trees. Two cultivars “Kaninjot” and “U.Bardhe” were chosen randomly in three plots of 50 trees each. They were examined for morphometry. Annual thickening was caused by the cambium of the Neck (N) and trunk (T). The results showed that circumferential growth increases simultaneously with the age as per order of groups (P1 < P2 < P3), whereas annual thickening decreases simultaneously with aging (P1 > P2 > P3). As of lognormal statistics estimates average annual thickening of the neck during the ontogenetic cycle of the “Kaninjot” cv is 6.123 mm, whereas of “U.Bardhe” 4.222 mm. The neck of the trunk is considered the main regenerative immortal organ and analysis on its morphometry enables estimation of high levels of accuracy.