Olive tree European

In a study of soils of California. Meyer and Duforsky report that out of 78 samples of virgin soil taken from areas free from animal excreta, 45 contained toxic cultures of B. botulinus (mainly type A). From 226 samples of soil from gardens, orchards, and cultivated fields, 59 samples furnished cultures of B. botulinus. Of 122 samples of garden vegetables and fruits 33 furnished the organism. The leaves and fruit of olive trees furnished cultures of B. botulinus readily. Hav. straw and animal feeds were contaminated with B. botulinus in 10 out of 52 samples. Only 3 out of 45 samples of manure were positive. Soil samples from Alaska and Canada were found to contain B. botulinus spores. Also soil samples from Hawaiian Islands and China contained spores of this organism. In the examination of European soils, it was emphasized that type A is quite well eliminated in well cultivated soils. 

Over 750 million olive trees are cultivated worldwide, about 95% of those in the Mediterranean region. Most of the global production comes from Southern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Of the European production, 93% comes from Spain, Italy, Turkey, and Greece. Spain s production alone accounts for 40%-45% of the world production, which was 2.6 million metric tons in 2002. In olive oil-producing countries, the local production is generally considered the finest. 

Olive oil is obtained from the fruit of the olive tree. It is an important component in the diet of Mediterranean people and in Mediterranean cuisine. About 80% of total olive oil production comes from the European Community, with the Near East contributing ca. 7% and North Africa supplying about 11%. The cultivation of the olive tree is known since biblical times. It is one of the oldest signs of civilization in the world. The Mediterranean world has regarded the olive as sacred for thousands of years. In many religions and... 

Our search for attractants is focused on the Tephritid family of fruit flies which Includes species that are of economic importance in Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. It is estimated that the olive fly, Dacus oleae. causes ten percent fruit drop in European olives. Of the Infested fruit remaining on the trees, 25 percent of the flesh is destroyed (48). A conservative estimate of the annual cost of the recent Medfly infestation in California, not including capital outlays, is 59 million for chemical controls, 38 million for quarantine and fumigation, and 260 million in crop losses (49). It is estimated that 70% of the susceptible fruit in Egypt is infested by the Medfly (50) and a 50 million control program has been started there. 

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