Leaf analysis is used to determine the nutrient status of trees and to plan an appropriate fertiliser program. Australia is fortunate in being free of olive fly, the major pest of olives in other countries, increases production costs. Mechanical harvesting is now well established in Europe and will undoubtedly become the standard practice in the future. Mechanical harvesters all involve shaking the trunk to dislodge the fruit and this requires appropriate pruning of the young tree. This involves removal of the lower branches to give a single trunk with no branches in the basal one metre.
Most Australian production is in South Australia and Victoria.
A program to assess the potential of olives is presently being undertaken at the Loxton Centre, Primary Industries South Australia. This program is seeking to establish optimum production practices and involves economic assessments. It is considered that with improved production practices, particularly mechanical harvesting, olives can become a profitable crop for farmers and one which will help reduce Australia's balance of trade by reducing the need for current imports. Any claims made by authors in the Australian New Crops Newsletter are presented by the Editors in good faith. Readers would be wise to critically examine the circumstances associated with any claims to determine the applicability of such claims to their specific set of circumstances.