Improving Olive Pollination with Biostimulants: the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna Takes Part in the IMPOLLINOLIV Project Funded by the Liguria Region
Applied research, agronomic innovation, and collaboration with local stakeholders to support the productivity of Ligurian olive growing. The IMPOLLINOLIV project – Improvement and Enhancement of Pollination through the Use of Biostimulants – has officially started. The cooperation project is funded by the Liguria Region through the Regional Rural Development Programme 2023–2027 and addresses one of the most urgent challenges facing Ligurian olive cultivation: improving olive pollination and fruit set in an increasingly unstable climate context.
The Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna is participating as a scientific partner thanks to the advanced expertise in plant physiology and agronomic experimentation developed within its Institute of Plant Production. The project involves researcher Alessandra Francini, who serves as scientific coordinator for the Sant’Anna School, together with Professor Luca Sebastiani. The project is led by Florcoop Sanremo, a leading agricultural organization in Western Liguria, alongside CIPAT Imperia, which specializes in training and technical dissemination.
The Project’s Objective
IMPOLLINOLIV aims to directly test, in Ligurian olive groves, the effectiveness of biostimulants capable of increasing pollen vitality and longevity, reducing flower drop, improving the regularity of fruit set, and enhancing olive tree tolerance to drought and high temperatures. This innovative approach, already successfully tested in viticulture and fruit growing, could also offer new opportunities for Ligurian olive cultivation.
Why Olive Pollination Needs Intervention
In recent years, olive production in Liguria — particularly that of the Taggiasca cultivar — has experienced a significant decline. The main causes include water and heat stress, climatic fluctuations during flowering and fruit set, irregular fruiting with olives at different developmental stages on the same tree, as well as the lack of compatible pollinating varieties and increasing international competition.
Recent analyses have confirmed that physiological fruit drop — the premature fall of flowers and small fruits — is not caused by pathogens, but rather by complex genetic and environmental interactions regulating flowering, fruit set, and olive development. In this context, biostimulants represent a promising solution to improve productivity and ensure more stable yields over time.
Field Trials in Western Liguria Olive Groves
One of the distinguishing features of IMPOLLINOLIV is the decision to conduct experiments directly in the field, within olive groves located in Western Liguria. As a scientific partner, the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna will contribute to the definition of experimental protocols and the analysis of results, ensuring an approach that can be replicated and transferred to local agricultural businesses.
