Effects of shading and fertiliser on the growth and antioxidant content of olives (Olea europaea L.)

The olive tree not only provides fruits but also wood and nutrition such as oleuropein. olive leaves can be made into tea by 'withering' (drying) the fresh leaves. an experiment was conducted to observe the growth and evaluate the antioxidant content of olives using different types of fertilisers. the plants were grown under partial shading and full exposure to sunlight (50% and 0% -no shading); npk fertiliser or commercial compost was used to enrich the planting media. the results showed that plants that grew in the shade are taller and have better foliage,while use of commercial compost resulted in better growth of branches and leaves. older leaves contained higher levels of oleuropein and ascorbic acid. exposure to sunlight increased ascorbic acid content in older leaves compared with that of shaded plants. © universiti putra malaysia press.