The largest California event ever dedicated to super-high-density olive production will be held June 29-30 at the UC Davis Conference Center.

The Super-High-Density Olive Production Symposium will feature the latest information from university researchers and industry leaders. Many of the speakers have been working with large acreages that are in super-high-density olive production, a relatively new practice in which the density of olive tree plantings is dramatically increased.

In old, traditional olive production systems of the Mediterranean region, olive trees were grown in nonirrigated orchards with trees planted as much as 60 feet apart or at a density of just 12 trees per acre. During the 1980s in Spain and Italy, however, the introduction of irrigation systems and improved methods of training trees enabled growers to move toward much denser plantings.

Dense planting of olive trees using such methods began in California in 1999. In just a decade, density rates in the state have increased to as high as 908 trees per acre, according a recent survey by the UC Davis Olive Center. Dense planting relies on trellising, in which olive trees eventually resemble a hedge that can be mechanically harvested, dramatically decreasing production costs.

“The super-high-density olive sector has achieved impressive growth in just a decade,” said Dan Flynn, executive director of the UC Davis Olive Center. “The symposium offers an opportunity to share the latest information and best practices from this thriving sector of the olive industry."

Flynn noted that the center’s recent survey revealed more than 80 percent of California’s acreage for producing olive oil now is in the super-high-density system. And this year the state will surpass France in olive oil production for the first time, he said.

Although designed for olive growers, olive-oil processors, and others interested in the industry, the symposium is open to the public. The June 29 sessions will provide an introduction to super-high-density olive production, and the June 30 sessions will focus on advanced issues related to this production system. The registration fee is $125 for June 29 and $275 for June 30. Online registration is available through the UC Davis Olive Center at: http://conferences.ucdavis.edu/confreg/reg/index.cfm?confid=467.