Mission trees can reach heights of 40 and 50 feet (12 and 15 m).[4] They produce small fruit, typically of around 4.1 grams (0.14 oz). It has the lowest flesh-to-pit ratio (6.5:1) and greatest cold resistance of any commercial cultivar in California. Mission olives are harvested for table use from late October through November; for oil production, they are harvested between mid-December and February. They are susceptible to peacock spot, a disease caused by the fungus Cycloconium oleaginum, and olive knot, a disease caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas savastanoi.[5]
Mission olives are one of five cultivars (along with Ascolano, Barouni, Manzanilla, and Sevillana) commercially viable in California for production as table olives.[6] They have also been used in the production of olive oil since the days of the Spanish missions.[7]
In 1992, the Mission cultivar represented just over eight percent of California's overall olive acreage.[8] Mission olives were dominant until 1875, when Andalusian immigrants introduced the Manzanilla cultivar; subsequent introductions further reduced the percentage of Mission trees in California.[9] After Manzanilla and Sevillana, however, it remains one of the more common cultivars in the state.[10] The Oroville district in Butte County is a major Mission producer.[11]
Olive trees were first brought to California by the Franciscan mission of San Diego de Alcalá; olive production likely began in earnest within the first two decades of the mission. The original trees suffered after the secularization of the missions, though pioneers cultivated new trees from their cuttings, leading to the distinct Mission cultivar.[7]
Though researchers at the University of Córdoba presumed the Mission olive to be of Spanish origin, they were unable to establish its relationship with any of 700 Spanish cultivars.[2] Recent DNA testing in California suggests the Mission olive could be related to Picholine Marocaine, a Moroccan cultivar.[1] Spanish settlers likely brought what would become the Mission trees to Mexico first.[4][9][12]
^ abSutter, Ellen G. (1994). "Olive cultivars and propagation". In Ferguson, Louise; Sibbett, G. Steven; Martin, George C. (eds.). Olive Production Manual. Oakland, CA: University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. p. 24. ISBN1879906155. OCLC30312488.
^Sutter, Ellen G. (1994). "Olive cultivars and propagation". In Ferguson, Louise; Sibbett, G. Steven; Martin, George C. (eds.). Olive Production Manual. Oakland, CA: University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. p. 25. ISBN1879906155. OCLC30312488.
^Sutter, Ellen G. (1994). "Olive cultivars and propagation". In Ferguson, Louise; Sibbett, G. Steven; Martin, George C. (eds.). Olive Production Manual. Oakland, CA: University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. p. 23. ISBN1879906155. OCLC30312488.
^ abConnell, Joseph H. (1994). "History and scope of the olive industry". In Ferguson, Louise; Sibbett, G. Steven; Martin, George C. (eds.). Olive Production Manual. Oakland, CA: University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. p. 3. ISBN1879906155. OCLC30312488.
^Connell, Joseph H. (1994). "History and scope of the olive industry". In Ferguson, Louise; Sibbett, G. Steven; Martin, George C. (eds.). Olive Production Manual. Oakland, CA: University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. p. 7. ISBN1879906155. OCLC30312488.
^Connell, Joseph H. (1994). "History and scope of the olive industry". In Ferguson, Louise; Sibbett, G. Steven; Martin, George C. (eds.). Olive Production Manual. Oakland, CA: University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. p. 6. ISBN1879906155. OCLC30312488.
