<p>According to a trial, Olives grown under well lit conditions, with respect to those grown at low light intensity, were heavier, had a higher percentage of oil and a lower water content.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.actahort.org/books/949/949_35.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.actahort.org/books/949/949_35.htm</a></p>
<p><em>The influence of light availability on olive fruit development, oil accumulation and the qualitative characteristics of the oil were studied. The trial was carried out in central Italy, on non-irrigated trees of cultivars ‘Frantoio’ and ‘Leccino’. In October and November, samples of olives grown under conditions of low or high light availability (about 400 and 1100 μmol of photons m-2 s-1) were collected and analysed. Fruit ripening was slightly affected by high availability of light (higher pigmentation and detachment force and lower pulp consistency). Olives grown under well lighted conditions, with respect to those grown at low light intensity, were heavier, had a higher percentage of oil and a lower water content. The pulp/pit ratio was not affected by light intensity. The oils extracted from olives grown under high light conditions had a higher polyphenol content and better sensorial characteristics than those obtained from olives grown at low light intensity. The acidity and peroxide number were not affected by the light conditions. The results highlight the importance of ensuring good, uniform illumination of the entire crown by making optimal choices at the moment of the olive orchard establishment and rationalizing all techniques that affect light availability at the crown level (planting area exposition, training system and spacing, pruning intensity, etc.).</em></p>
<p><strong>my question</strong>: was it known before this trial (among people in past times), that olive trees produce better, finer harvests e.g. oil etc .. if located in a place where the trees has more exposure to sunlight?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-03-22T13:48:04.277Z
Not sure that your question will get much help at StackExchange. It's really in a crossover zone between Earth Science/Physics (light wavelengths), history, maybe a little biology/agriculture... and yet incredibly specific/narrow to a topic few would know much about (not just plants but trees, not just trees olive trees, and a specific factor that probably doesn't come up in farming all that often? It's not an entirely uninteresting or unfruitful(!) question, it's just going to be really hard to both find a home for it and to find someone who would have some kind of legitimate information!
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-03-22T13:58:33.107Z
If it's really a passionate question for you, you may be better suited to try to search the internet intently for experts in ancient agricultural practices, or at least traditional practices (for like 100 years ago), or something similar.  Even then it probably would take finding just the right expert.  The weather/rock/glacier/etc experts around here likely won't be too much help :-/
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-03-22T13:58:37.063Z
Now did they know that the proper spacing/consistency of planting/pruning style was important... certainly that seems likely at some point (agriculture has basically been trial and error until genetic study became a factor in some aspects?)  The spacing/pruning of plants has developed over millennia to be sure.  Did they know it was specifically the sunlight that was important?  Perhaps they would eventually come to that conclusion, because there's not too many options, really.  But it would've seemed a guess rather something truly known and verified by rigor until recent centuries?
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-03-22T21:54:24.220Z
The Roman writers [Pliny](http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0137%3Abook%3D15%3Achapter%3D1) (several chapters) and [Cato](https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cato/De_Agricultura/C*.html) both wrote sections concerning the conditions, growth, harvesting and processing of olives. After a quick scan of these entries I did not find any direct mention of sunlight.
justCal
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-03-22T22:32:51.710Z
This question might be more appropriate on SE History.
Fred
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-03-23T02:08:23.590Z
thank you all ,,,  I will wait some days ,hope getting more answers before deleting the question and post it in  SE History.
ميخائيل مينا
<agriculture>
Did people in ancient times know of the influence that light availability had on olive fruit development & oil accumulation?
ميخائيل مينا
# Did people in ancient times know of the influence that light availability had on olive fruit development & oil accumulation?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-03-22)

According to a trial, Olives grown under well lit conditions, with respect to those grown at low light intensity, were heavier, had a higher percentage of oil and a lower water content.

<https://www.actahort.org/books/949/949_35.htm>

*The influence of light availability on olive fruit development, oil accumulation and the qualitative characteristics of the oil were studied. The trial was carried out in central Italy, on non-irrigated trees of cultivars ‘Frantoio’ and ‘Leccino’. In October and November, samples of olives grown under conditions of low or high light availability (about 400 and 1100 μmol of photons m-2 s-1) were collected and analysed. Fruit ripening was slightly affected by high availability of light (higher pigmentation and detachment force and lower pulp consistency). Olives grown under well lighted conditions, with respect to those grown at low light intensity, were heavier, had a higher percentage of oil and a lower water content. The pulp/pit ratio was not affected by light intensity. The oils extracted from olives grown under high light conditions had a higher polyphenol content and better sensorial characteristics than those obtained from olives grown at low light intensity. The acidity and peroxide number were not affected by the light conditions. The results highlight the importance of ensuring good, uniform illumination of the entire crown by making optimal choices at the moment of the olive orchard establishment and rationalizing all techniques that affect light availability at the crown level (planting area exposition, training system and spacing, pruning intensity, etc.).*

**my question**: was it known before this trial (among people in past times), that olive trees produce better, finer harvests e.g. oil etc .. if located in a place where the trees has more exposure to sunlight?

**Tags:** agriculture

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Not sure that your question will get much help at StackExchange. It's really in a crossover zone between Earth Science/Physics (light wavelengths), history, maybe a little biology/agriculture... and yet incredibly specific/narrow to a topic few would know much about (not just plants but trees, not just trees olive trees, and a specific factor that probably doesn't come up in farming all that often? It's not an entirely uninteresting or unfruitful(!) question, it's just going to be really hard to both find a home for it and to find someone who would have some kind of legitimate information!  
> **username_1**: If it's really a passionate question for you, you may be better suited to try to search the internet intently for experts in ancient agricultural practices, or at least traditional practices (for like 100 years ago), or something similar.  Even then it probably would take finding just the right expert.  The weather/rock/glacier/etc experts around here likely won't be too much help :-/  
> **username_1**: Now did they know that the proper spacing/consistency of planting/pruning style was important... certainly that seems likely at some point (agriculture has basically been trial and error until genetic study became a factor in some aspects?)  The spacing/pruning of plants has developed over millennia to be sure.  Did they know it was specifically the sunlight that was important?  Perhaps they would eventually come to that conclusion, because there's not too many options, really.  But it would've seemed a guess rather something truly known and verified by rigor until recent centuries?  
> **username_2**: The Roman writers [Pliny](http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0137%3Abook%3D15%3Achapter%3D1) (several chapters) and [Cato](https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cato/De_Agricultura/C*.html) both wrote sections concerning the conditions, growth, harvesting and processing of olives. After a quick scan of these entries I did not find any direct mention of sunlight.  
> **username_3**: This question might be more appropriate on SE History.  
> **username_0**: thank you all ,,,  I will wait some days ,hope getting more answers before deleting the question and post it in  SE History.  

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