ALSO KNOWN AS:
MAURINO LUCCHESE
AREA OF ORIGIN:
LUCCA (TUSCANY)
DIFFUSION AREA:
Tuscany and Central Italy.
TREE:
Maurino is medium-sized, typically Tuscan oil variety. It is of medium vigor with a pendulous habit, while the fruiting branches are delicate with rising tips. The leaves are lanceolate, of medium size and are grayish-green in color.
FRUIT:
The fruit is between 1.5-2 grams in weight, ellipsoidal and slightly asymmetrical in shape and when fully mature is purple-black in color.
AGRONOMICAL CHARACTERS:
The cultivar is self-sterile, it needs a pollinator which can be Pendolino, Leccino, Frantoio or Moraiolo. It has a low ovarian abortion rate, generally under 19%. Production is good, although slightly alternate, and it has a medium resistance to cold and diseases such as peacock spot (Cycloconium oleaginum ) and olive knot (Pseudomonas savastanoi).
OIL CONTENT:
It is medium between 14 and 18%, but the quality is high. The oil is delicate and not overly fruity.
HARVEST TIME:
End of November and beginning of December in Italy.
OTHER CHARACTERS:
This is an excellent pollinator for Moraiolo and Pendolino and can be cultivated in cold, humid zones which are subject to fog. It is widely appreciated for its ability to produce significant amount of fertile pollen and for its compatibility with a wide range of other olive cultivars. Because of the small size of its fruits this cultivar is not suitable for mechanical harvest.
