Summary
In recent years many studies on climate change and its impacts have been published. In this investigation the flowering of the olive tree (Olea europaea L.) in central Italy was related to climate and its usefulness as a bio-indicator for climatic change has been studied.
An aerobiological method was used to determine the flowering periods in each of 22 study years (1982–2003), and five yearly target dates in correspondence to different flowering phases were selected.
Climatic trends were studied through heat summations (daily maximum, minimum and average temperatures) from 1 January to the annual day of full flowering; moreover Growing Degree Days (GDD) and Chilling Units (CU) were carried out since 1 January to 25 conventional dates in the pre-flowering period.
Statistical analyses were carried out to study the relationships among climatic trends (expressed by GDD and CU) and the flowering phases. The principal result may be represented by the close relationship between climate and reproductive phenology to consider olive flowering as a good indicator of climatic changes.
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Orlandi, F., Ruga, L., Romano, B. et al. Olive flowering as an indicator of local climatic changes. Theor. Appl. Climatol. 81, 169–176 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-004-0120-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-004-0120-1