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leccino

Origin: Italy
Purpose: Oil
Cold tolerance: High
Self sterile
Productivity: High
Start of bearing: Early
Ripening: Early
Oil content: Medium

Growth: Leccino is a vigorous cultivar with a dense, slightly drooping growth habit and high adaptability. It is self incompatible; the common pollinizers are Pendolino, Frantoio, Maurino and Moraiolo. It is the first variety to come into bearing in most California Tuscan field blends, and is usually the earliest to ripen. It has shown good tolerance of low temperatures. Leccino tends slightly to alternate bearing, but this can be managed with cultural practices.

Pests: Leccino is fairly resistant to olive knot and peacock spot, but is sensitive to verticillium. It is considered highly susceptible to black scale and sooty mold, but only moderately susceptible to the olive fly.

Oil: The oil content of Leccino is cited as low, medium and high by different sources, with the majority falling in the medium-high vicinity. The oil is sweet, fruity and characterized by cinnamon-spice notes. It is a popular choice for olio nuovo releases because of its early maturation and high palatability when first pressed.

Harvest: Leccino is an early and simultaneously ripening variety. The skin of Leccino turns black very early, but the flesh remains green for a deceptively long time. It has moderate removal force, similar to Frantoio, but there is little information available about its suitability to mechanical harvest.

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