Exploring morphological aspects, cuticle size and volatile compounds in the fruits of four olive cultivars as possibly interdependent components of Bactrocera oleae tolerance

Giovanni Stefano^1,2*COSIMO TAITI³Luca Lombardo⁴Gianluca Godino⁴Elisa Masi^2,3Elettra Marone⁵LUCIANA RENNA³Marta Beccaluva²Annamaria Ienco⁴Samanta Zelasco⁴Santina Rizzo⁴ENZO PERRI⁴Marianna Rizzo⁴Pierluigi Rizzo⁴Veronica Vizzarri⁴Giovanni Spinelli³Piero Fiorino³Stefano Mancuso³

• ¹University of Florence, Florence, MI, Italy
• ²Universita degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy
• ³Universita degli Studi di Firenze Scuola di Agraria, Florence, Italy
• ⁴CREA Centro di Ricerca Olivicoltura Frutticoltura e Agrumicoltura Sede di Rende, Rende, Italy
• ⁵Universita degli Studi di Teramo Facolta di Bioscienze e Tecnologie Agro-alimentari e Ambientali, Teramo, Italy

Olea europaea L. subsp. europaea, var. europaea, plays a crucial role in cultural identity and economic prosperity across many regions of the Mediterranean Basin. The olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae, represents a major global challenge to olive and olive oil production. Its larvae feed exclusively on olive fruits, causing severe crop damage and substantial economic losses. We examined four olive cultivars differing in susceptibility to B. oleae, focusing on fruit morphology (weight, maturity index, penetration resistance), cuticle characteristics, and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. Confocal microscopy with Nile Red staining revealed that thicker cuticles were associated with reduced harmful infestation. PTR-ToF-MS analysis showed cultivar- and ripening stage–specific VOC emission patterns, with certain compounds potentially deterring or attracting the olive fly. These results indicate that fruit morphology, cuticle development, and VOC profiles act as interdependent determinants of cultivar-specific tolerance and provide actionable markers for breeding and integrated pest management.