Cultivar Hojiblanca originates in Andalucia (Spain) and is a major cultivar there. It is a vigorously growing large tree. The fruit of this cultivar is of dual purpose used for oil extraction and pickling. The yield is medium-high and the oil quality high but its content relatively low.
Geographical
Distribution
The main region for this Spanish cultivar is in the Cordoba district of Andalucia. This cultivar which has a rather strong tree has been tested in various countries and is represented in many collections. However, due to its relatively low oil content it did not spread significantly to regions outside of Andalucia.
Description
| Tree |
The tree is large, wide with vigorous growth. It develops a wide and open canopy, which is not very dense. The branches are of medium length and their bark has a clear grey colour. |
| Leaf |
The leaves are long (5-6cm) lanciformic and rather narrow. The colour of the upper surface is a matte light green and the lower surface greenish grey. The leaves are symmetric with a relatively long petiole and the widest cross section is in the middle. |
| Flower |
Inflorescences are short and compact. Flower number per inflorescence 17-24. The individual flowers are of medium size. |
| Stone |
The stone is rather large but relative to fruit size very reasonable. It is elliptic in shape with a pointed distal end (Mucro). The stone surface is rough. |
| Fruit |
The fruit is medium-large of uniform elliptic shape and is slightly asymmetrical. It is round both at the proximal and distal sides of the fruit and the widest diameter is at the centre. When ripe it has a deep violet colour. Blackening of the fruit starts from the distal end and the petiole cavity is deep and round. The flesh of the fruit is firm and somewhat rough. |
Agronomic Characteristics
The tree is vigorous; well adapted to calcareous soils and has a medium tolerance to salinity. The young branches are sensitive to spring frosts. Hojiblanca is flowering in mid season but ripens late. Fruiting will benefit from cross-pollination but information about efficient pollinators is still vague. The alternance of fruiting is medium and can be reduced by horticultural means. The ripening is uniform and the fruit is firm suitable for the California ripe processing method. The oil content is relatively low (14-16%) but does not drop much under irrigated conditions. The oil quality is good and it is stable. The attachment force of the fruit to the branches is high and thus harvest mechanization difficult and often not efficient enough. Hojiblanca is sensitive to the peacock spot leaf disease as well as to verticillium and Bacterium savastanoy.
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