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The hedge olive grove began to be created at the start of the decade of the nineties due to the following:
- The desire to improve the quality and quantity of extra virgin oil in the cultivation of the olive groves.
- The high harvesting costs.
- The search to optimise the cultivated surface areas.
During this decade, Todolivo carried out thorough research into this cultivation system.
1997 It founded “The Olive Grove Cultivation Research Centre” (Pedro Abad, Córdoba) where it set up a an R&D&I Department and became the first country to opt for the Hedge Olive Grove System.
1998 It culminated the development of its new model of high density olive grove cultivation called “Todolivo High Density Olive Grove System”.
1999 It acquired its first planting machinery and began to make its first commercial plantations of hedge olive groves in Spain (700 hectares), both on rainfed and on irrigated land, becoming pioneers of this system. As from that time, it designed a new way to cultivate The olive grove.
It also commenced its own tests with several types of pruning in order to get to know the agronomic conduct of the trees. Specifically, ten different pruning strategies were applied, seven manual and three mechanical, which meant that Todolivo could choose one rather than the others.
At this time, it also commence a first multi-variety test of the densities of irrigated hedge olive groves in order to find out the production of Arbequina hedge olive groves in the province of Seville, where a traditional olive grove property (planted within a patternwork of 7×6 m.) into a hedge olive grove (7×1.5 m.). It also constructed a nursery at Pedro Abad (Córdoba).
2000 It began its first test of multi-variety varieties for hedge olive groves in ‘Ocaña’, Pedro Abad (Córdoba) with the Arbequina Clon I-21®, Arbosana Clon I-43®, Koroneiki Clon I-38®, Imperial Clon I-23®, Canetera, UCI 1-68, UCI 2-35 and FS-17 varieties.
2001 It made the first commercial plantation of hedge olive groves in Portugal with the Arbosana Clon I-43® and Koroneiki Clon I-38®, Cobrançosa, Arbequina Clon I-21® varieties. It acquired its first Gregoire G-120 SW harvesters and the first specific harvester prototype for olive trees which this firm launched onto the market, the Gregoire G-130.
2003 Together with the Ministry of Agriculture, it organized an international harvesting demonstration with hedge olive grove harvesters on its property at Pedro Abad (Córdoba) and planting on the ‘El camarero’ property the first rainfed multi-variety teat with the Arbequina Clon I-21®, Arbosana Clon I-43® and Koroneiki Clon I-38® varieties.
2006 It planted 531 hectares in Morocco, and was a pioneer in hedge olive groves in this country.
2007 On a property AT Campo Maior (Portugal), it began a test to find out the agronomic conduct of varieties intended for table olives for hedge olive grove plantations which was a revolution in the sector. Specifically, Manzanillo Sevillano I-56® and Manzanillo Cacereño Clon I-57®. At this time, it started another test on the Cruz de los Huertos (Pedro Abad, Córdoba) property, in collaboration with the University of Córdoba and the IFAPA, in order to compare the the SiktitaP variety with the other varieties of olives trees that belong to the genetic improvement programme and with the Arbequina Clon I-21®, Arbosana Clon I-43®, Picual I-11®, Coratina I-99®, Imperial Clon I-23® and Koroneiki Clon I-38®. It acquired the first GPS guided planting machine which simultaneously places the plant, the stake and the herbicide application in line.
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2008 It started a genetic improvement programme in order to obtain new varieties of high density olive groves that are more productive than their parent plants, that are resistant to diseases and that enable to have new oil flavours. The crosses obtained in the ‘Cruz de los Huertos’ are carried out of which 38 were preselected.
2009 It acquired the first New Holland harvesters. Currently, it has 13 machines: 3 New Holland 7090 Dual, 8 New Holland 7090 Olive and 2 New Holland 9090 Olive. The Todolivo High Density Olive Grove System, due to its high homogeneity and high market penetration, served as a model for New Holland to develop the “Olive” harvester.
This year, Todolivo expanded its commercial catalogue, introducing new layouts for irrigation, rainfed and backup irrigation high density olive grove plantations, which require less investment and maintenance costs.
2010 It carried out a trial in the rainfed estate of ‘El Calderito Bajo’ to learn the productivity and fat yield of the high density olive grove in different plantation layouts; at the same time it started another investigation to study how the different orientations influence in the high density olive grove plantations and another one to compare the productivity of different varieties planted at different line widths.
This year new crosses are made within the genetic improvement programme initiated in 2008.
2012 It planted 543 new varieties of crosses obtained in 2009, of which 34 are preselected.
2013 It created its 1st plantation of High Density Olive Grove in Tunisia.
2014 It created its 1st plantation of High Density Olive Grove in France.
2015 The 38 pre-selections of new varieties are planted in ‘La Mata’ estate to be re-evaluated.
2017 65 rainfed hectares are planted, in the research estates of Todolivo ‘Las Hazuelas’ and ‘Calderito Alto’, 102 varieties, 72 of which come from the genetic improvement programme initiated in 2008, which have surpassed their parents in precocity and productivity, and are compared with the most demanded 30 varieties. This trial is repeated in 20 ha with irrigation in ‘Las Hazuelas’ estate.
Since then until now, TODOLIVO has successfully planted more than 34.000 hectares with irrigation, rainfed and backup irrigation in different layouts, becoming the leading company in the world in the execution and technical management of high density olive grove plantations. With our innovative plantation system, we have surpassed all the records of quality and productivity
known up to now.
