Plants development, influenced by air temperature, can be estimated through the concept of phyllochron, defined as the time interval between the appearance of successive leaves on a stem, being the time expressed in °C day and the phyllochron in °C day leaf-1. The objective of this study was to evaluate the development of two olive cultivars during the seedling phase at different acclimation dates, using the concept of phyllochron. The experiment was carried in the experimental area of the Agricultural Research Corporation of Minas Gerais, Maria da Fé, south of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The experimental design was completely randomized with two cultivars (MGS 'ASC315' and 'Arbequina'), five acclimation date (May, June, July, August and September 2010) and 15 repetitions. The phyllochron was estimated by the inverse of the slope of the linear regression between leaves number (NF) and accumulated thermal time (STa). The phyllochron in 'MGS ASC315' was 14,7°C day leaf-1 (date 1), 31,7°C day leaf-1 (average of dates 2, 3 and 4) and 60,2°C day leaf-1(date 5). The phyllochron in 'Arbequina' was 17,3°C day leaf-1 (average of five acclimation dates, due not statistically difference among dates). In acclimation dates 3, 4 and 5, not statistically difference between cultivars, and the smallest phyllochron for 'Arbequina'. In acclimation dates 1 and 2, were not statistically different between cultivars.
Olea europaea L.; phyllochron; thermal time; air temperature
