A methodological framework for the standardised evaluation of olive genetic resources: GEN4OLIVE harmonized protocols

List of Authors

  1. Hristofor Miho ,  
  2. Diego Barranco Navero
    ,  
  3. Isabel Trujillo Navas
    ,  
  4. Pablo Morello Parra ,  
  5. Georgios Koubouris ,  
  6. Carlos Trapero Ramirez
    ,  
  7. Álvaro López-Bernal
    ,  
  8. Amira Oueslati
    ,  
  9. David Flores Mesas
    ,  
  10. M. Teresa García López
    ,  
  11. Pedro Valverde Caballero
    ,  
  12. R. Efe Deger
    ,  
  13. Esteban Meca
    ,  
  14. Enzo Perri ,  
  15. Elena Santilli ,  
  16. Juan Moral Moral
    ,  
  17. Cristina Estudillo Cazorla ,  
  18. Diego Cabello Pozo
    ,  
  19. Meelad Yousef Yousef ,  
  20. Songul Acar ,  
  21. Melek Gurbuz-Veral
    ,  
  22. Feliciano Priego Capote
    ,  
  23. Asma Zahiri
    ,  
  24. Sara Oulbi
    ,  
  25. Maria Isabel Márquez Pérez ,  
  26. Concepción M. Díez
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Abstract

Background

Olive ( Olea europaea L.) breeding initiatives rely heavily on the extensive and correct characterisation of genetic resources to successfully achieve their goals, such as addressing climate change and emerging diseases challenges. However, the historical lack of standardised phenotyping protocols across multi-environment trials has severely hindered data interoperability and large-scale comparative analyses.

Methods

Within the Horizon 2020 GEN4OLIVE project, five international olive germplasm banks established a consensus-based methodological framework to systematically evaluate over 500 olive cultivars. We harmonised 14 evaluation protocols covering six fundamental dimensions: phenological and agronomic traits, abiotic stress resilience, biotic stress resilience, olive oil yield and chemical quality, table olive quality assessment, and morphological characterisation and photography. While most protocols were adapted from previously published literature to ensure ease of implementation across different facilities, novel methodologies for frost tolerance and standardised photography were developed de novo.

Results

The implementation of these consensus methods across five countries proved highly successful. This methodological framework enabled the generation of the largest harmonised, publicly available dataset on olive genetic resources to date, effectively making possible the correct comparation and ranking of the olive cultivars based on their specific characteristics.

Conclusions

This compendium of methods provides a robust, highly replicable reference point for the standardisation of olive germplasm characterisation and use of shared benchmark cultivars as an effective way for data normalization and comparation. It facilitates future global pre-breeding efforts, ensures international data interoperability, and supports the discovery of resilient cultivars to secure the future of the olive sector.

Plain Language Summary

Olive trees face increasing threats from climate change and emerging diseases, making the discovery of resilient olive varieties crucial for the future of agriculture. To find these resilient varieties, scientists conduct “pre-breeding” evaluations. However, researchers in different countries traditionally use different methods to measure tree traits, making it impossible to accurately compare their data. To solve this, the European project GEN4OLIVE brought together five major olive germplasm banks from Spain, Greece, Italy, Turkiye, and Morocco to agree on a single, unified rulebook. We developed and adapted 14 highly standardised protocols to evaluate six key areas: tree growth (phenology and agronomy), drought and frost tolerance, disease and pest resistance, olive oil quality, table olive quality, and the olive cultivars photographing and cataloguing. By applying these easy-to-replicate methods, the international team successfully evaluated over 500 olive varieties, creating one of the largest comparable and public dataset in olive history. This unified protocol framework now serves as a universal standard, allowing researchers worldwide to evaluate olive trees using the exact same criteria.

Corresponding author
Concepción M. Díez
Grant information

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No (101000427) (project name GEN4OLIVE).

Copyright
© 2026 Hristofor Miho (Co-Author); Diego Barranco Navero (Co-Author); Isabel Trujillo Navas (Co-Author); Pablo Morello Parra (Co-Author); Georgios Koubouris (Co-Author); Carlos Trapero Ramirez (Co-Author); Álvaro López-Bernal (Co-Author); Amira Oueslati (Co-Author); David Flores Mesas (Co-Author); M. Teresa García López (Co-Author); Pedro Valverde Caballero (Co-Author); R. Efe Deger (Co-Author); Esteban Meca (Co-Author); Enzo Perri (Co-Author); Elena Santilli (Co-Author); Juan Moral Moral (Co-Author); Cristina Estudillo Cazorla (Co-Author); Diego Cabello Pozo (Co-Author); Meelad Yousef Yousef (Co-Author); Songul Acar (Co-Author); Melek Gurbuz-Veral (Co-Author); Feliciano Priego Capote (Co-Author); Asma Zahiri (Co-Author); Sara Oulbi (Co-Author); Maria Isabel Márquez Pérez (Co-Author); Concepción M. Díez (Corresponding Author, Co-Author) Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Authors & roles

Hristofor Miho

Universidad de Cordoba, Córdoba, 14071, Spain

Roles
Co-Author, Conceptualization, Data Curation, Methodology, Writing – Review & Editing
0000-0001-5281-6050

Diego Barranco Navero

Universidad de Cordoba, Córdoba, 14071, Spain

Roles
Co-Author, Investigation, Resources, Writing – Review & Editing

Isabel Trujillo Navas

Universidad de Cordoba, Córdoba, 14071, Spain

Roles
Co-Author, Investigation, Methodology

Pablo Morello Parra

Universidad de Cordoba, Córdoba, 14071, Spain

Roles
Co-Author, Methodology, Writing – Original Draft Preparation
0000-0002-2743-8868

Georgios Koubouris

ELGO-DIMITRA, Hellenic Agricultural Organization. Institute of Olive tree, Subtropical crops and Viticulture, Chania, Crete, Greece, 73134, Greece

Roles
Co-Author, Validation, Writing – Review & Editing
0000-0002-0079-8900

Carlos Trapero Ramirez

Universidad de Cordoba, Córdoba, 14071, Spain

Roles
Co-Author, Conceptualization, Investigation, Methodology, Writing – Review & Editing

Álvaro López-Bernal

Universidad de Cordoba, Córdoba, 14071, Spain

Roles
Co-Author, Investigation, Methodology

Amira Oueslati

Universidad de Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia, 565000, Tunisia

Roles
Co-Author, Investigation

David Flores Mesas

Universidad de Cordoba, Córdoba, 14071, Spain

Roles
Co-Author, Investigation

M. Teresa García López

Universidad de Cordoba, Córdoba, 14071, Spain

Roles
Co-Author, Data Curation, Investigation, Writing – Original Draft Preparation

Pedro Valverde Caballero

Universidad de Cordoba, Córdoba, 14071, Spain

Roles
Co-Author, Conceptualization, Investigation, Methodology, Writing – Original Draft Preparation

R. Efe Deger

Universidad de Cordoba, Córdoba, 14071, Spain

Roles
Co-Author, Investigation, Methodology

Esteban Meca

Universidad de Cordoba, Córdoba, 14071, Spain

Roles
Co-Author, Methodology, Writing – Original Draft Preparation

Enzo Perri

CREA-OFA, Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Rende, Italy, 87036, Italy

Roles
Co-Author, Investigation, Methodology, Writing – Original Draft Preparation

Elena Santilli

CREA-OFA, Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Rende, Italy, 87036, Italy

Roles
Co-Author, Investigation, Methodology, Writing – Original Draft Preparation

Juan Moral Moral

Universidad de Cordoba, Córdoba, 14071, Spain

Roles
Co-Author, Investigation, Methodology, Writing – Original Draft Preparation, Writing – Review & Editing

Cristina Estudillo Cazorla

Universidad de Cordoba, Córdoba, 14071, Spain

Roles
Co-Author, Investigation, Methodology, Writing – Original Draft Preparation

Diego Cabello Pozo

Universidad de Cordoba, Córdoba, 14071, Spain

Roles
Co-Author, Investigation, Methodology

Meelad Yousef Yousef

Universidad de Cordoba, Córdoba, 14071, Spain

Roles
Co-Author, Investigation, Methodology, Writing – Original Draft Preparation

Songul Acar

Olive Research Institute (ORI), Üniversite Caddesi, Izmir, 4335100, Turkey

Roles
Co-Author, Investigation, Methodology

Melek Gurbuz-Veral

Olive Research Institute (ORI), Üniversite Caddesi, Izmir, 4335100, Turkey

Roles
Co-Author, Investigation, Methodology

Feliciano Priego Capote

Universidad de Cordoba, Córdoba, 14071, Spain

Roles
Co-Author, Investigation, Methodology, Writing – Original Draft Preparation

Asma Zahiri

Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Regional Center of Agricultural Research of Marrakech, Rabat, 415, Morocco

Roles
Co-Author, Investigation, Methodology

Sara Oulbi

Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Regional Center of Agricultural Research of Marrakech, Rabat, 415, Morocco

Roles
Co-Author, Investigation, Methodology

Maria Isabel Márquez Pérez

Universidad de Cordoba, Córdoba, 14071, Spain

Roles
Co-Author, Investigation, Methodology, Writing – Original Draft Preparation

Concepción M. Díez

Universidad de Cordoba, Córdoba, 14071, Spain

Roles
Corresponding Author, Co-Author, Funding Acquisition, Project Administration, Supervision, Writing – Original Draft Preparation, Writing – Review & Editing

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