Salonenque | |
---|---|
Olive (Olea europaea) | |
Color of the ripe fruit | Green |
Also called | Plant de salon, Courniand, Suren, Varagen |
Origin | France |
Notable regions | Provence |
Hazards | Verticillium dahliae, Sooty moulds, Saissetia oleae |
Use | Oil and table |
Oil content | High |
Fertility | Partially self-fertile |
Growth form | Erect |
Leaf | Elliptic-lanceolate |
Weight | Medium/high |
Shape | Ovoid |
Symmetry | Slightly asymmetrical |
The Salonenque, carrying the name of Salon-de-Provence, is a cultivar of olives grown primarily in Provence. Though it is used for producing oil, and gives a good yield, it is valued primarily as a table olive. It is produced as a so-called cracked olive, which means that the fruit is cracked to speed up the curing process.
The Salonenque is particularly common in Provence, especially in the Bouches-du-Rhône. In the Vallée des Baux it makes up over 60% of planted trees (as of 2004). [1] It is also grown in South Australia, primarily in the area around Adelaide. [2]
The cultivar is also known locally under several other names, including Courgeole, Plant de Salon, Salonen, Sauren, Sauzen, Selounen and Varagen. [2]
It is a cultivar of weak vigour, with an erect growth form. [3] The leaves are short and narrow, with an elliptic-lanceolate form. [4] The olives are of medium-high weight, and of an ovoid quite symmetrical shape. [5] They are rounded both at the apex and the base. [3] The stone has a rugose, or wrinkled surface, with a rounded apex, a pointed base, and a mucro. [3]
For use as table olives, the fruit is harvested relatively early, around 10 September. For oil production the harvest is later, in early November. [6] When fully mature, the colour of the fruit is bright green. [6]
The primary use of the Salonenque is as a table olive, more specifically as cracked olives (olives that are slit during the curing for the process to go faster). [1] They cured olives are "fresh with a firm, meaty texture and a whiff of aromatic fennel". [7] It is also used for production of oil, and gives a high yield (22–25%). [6] The taste of the oil is sweet and delicate, and quite strong. [6] The olive is freestone – the stone does not cling to the flesh. [5] The Salonenque is used in several officially approved appellations: such as "AOC Vallée des Baux" and "AOC Pays d'Aix". [6]
Salonenque is considered a cultivar of high and constant production, but has a low rooting ability. [5] The Salonenque is partially self-fertile, but it can take advantage of nearby pollinators, among which are the Grossane and the Berruguette. [6]
It has a high level of resistance to the major pests, with the exception of grubs of the olive moth Prays oleae and of the olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae. [8] It has a good resistance also to cold, and can sustain temperatures down to −15 °C, [6] but it is highly sensitive to wind. [9]