Modern Olive Growing in Raffadali: Productive Hedgerow, Vegetative Balance and Reduced Labor Requirements

In Raffadali, within the province of Agrigento, Agronomist Vito Vitelli, together with agricultural entrepreneur Antonio Casalicchio, are advancing an innovative olive growing model based on the productive hedgerow system and simplified canopy management. This approach aims to reduce labor requirements, improve vegetative balance, and maintain consistent productivity over time.

Following the pruning trial carried out last year on the Leccino cultivar, the trees are now showing an extremely promising response. In the areas where pruning cuts were made, vigorous vegetative regrowth can be observed without any decline in production. The trees continue to flower and bear fruit while simultaneously renewing their structure.

According to Vitelli, the fundamental principle is simple: “Produce and Renew.” The pruning cuts allow light to penetrate along the axis of the hedgerow, enabling the weaker sections of the tree to regain vigor. This keeps the internal vegetation active and, above all, preserves production in the lower part of the tree, preventing the olive canopy from shifting excessively upward.

The orchard features modern and highly functional spacing. At present, the trees are planted approximately 1.50 to1.60 meters apart within the row, but the future objective is to further reduce this distance to 1.25 to1.30 meters in order to increase positive root system “interaction” and naturally limit excessive vegetative growth. Between the rows, however, wider spacing of 5 to 7 meters is maintained to encourage light penetration and facilitate mechanization.

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Canopy management is extremely intuitive. Vigorous branches that cast shade over the hedgerow are shortened or topped in order to stimulate new shoots that will become future productive branches. The structure remains compact, flexible, and easy to manage.

Harvesting methods are also being reconsidered with simplicity in mind. The trees can be harvested using traditional nets and handheld harvesters, including rotating systems mounted on excavator arms, or potentially in the future with over the row harvesting machines adapted to modern olive cultivation systems (Pellenc type).

Particularly noteworthy is the work being carried out on the Favolosa FS17 cultivar, which is now widely cultivated in Southern Italy due to its tolerance to Xylella. In this case as well, the guiding principles remain unchanged: light penetration, continuous renewal, and vegetative control.

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However, the central issue remains labor availability. As emphasized by Antonio Casalicchio, the main challenge for farms today is no longer simply reducing costs, but actually finding workers. This is precisely where the productive hedgerow system demonstrates its full potential: simplicity, faster management, and a significant reduction in working time.

The experience in Raffadali therefore demonstrates that it is possible to develop a modern form of olive growing that is environmentally respectful and capable of combining environmental sustainability, productive balance, and operational simplification, even on difficult clay soils exposed to severe climatic stress.

Editorial Note:

Original content by Agronomist Vito Vitelli, developed and optimized with the support of artificial intelligence tools for educational, informational, and technical dissemination purposes.

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