“Olea europaea L.: A MULTIPURPOSE TREE AND SOLUTIONS TO MEET DEMAND.”

The olive fruit is most important for its oil extracted known as “liquid gold”. With medical evidences and indications about its beneficial health effect such as anti-hypertension, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, it has gained much popularity. Italy and Spain are major countries exporting olive oil both worldwide as well as in India who solely depends on 100% import for its market requirement. At present there is only one olive oil extraction plant set up in India. It is an important ingredient of Mediterranean Diet which is now adapted in many countries including India. It is used daily in many different ways as snacks and appetizers such as in dips, sauces, pickles, salads, pastas, pizzas, stews and in different baked food. The olive oil are also used for dressing, cooking and as preservatives. There are different types of olives varying with flavors and colors. They are a rich source of heart-healthy monosaturated fats, important fatty acids, antioxidants and iron. Due its multipurpose use the demand rate of consumption has been increased exponentially. Therefore there is an urgent need to understand the demand and solutions to meet the demand. Natural propagation of olive includes cutting and hardwood grafting which are time bound, tedious, requires expertise and season specific. The method of in vitro micropropagation is advantageous over the traditional means of propagation which requires minimum space, irrespective of season and time, resulting in early fruiting and quality fruits. Extensive literature survey was conducted to check its status globally and the technologies applied to increase the propagation of various Olea europaea L. cultivars by various means which will help in meeting the market demand.