This book provides an introduction to the genetics genomics and breeding of the olive tree a
multi-functional long-lived crop plant that is relevant not only for culinary olive and oil
production but also for shaping the landscape and history of many rural areas for centuries.
Today the recognized health benefits of extra-virgin olive oil provide new impulses for
introducing innovation in olive crop management and olive breeding for a deeper understanding
of the biological processes underlying fruit quality adaptation to crop environment and
response to threatening epidemics due to biological agents such as Xylella fastidiosa.The
individual chapters discuss genetic resources classic and modern breeding methods for
providing new olive cultivars the genotype x environment interactions determining the response
to biotic and abiotic stresses fruit metabolism related to oil production and the synthesis of
health beneficial molecules the mapping of genes and quantitative trait locus and genomic
transcriptomic and proteomic strategies pertinent to the development of a molecular platform
and template amenable to precise and rapid genetic modifications using recently developed
genome editing tools.
