Importance and necessity of the Project

   The use of integrated management method of soil fertility and plant nutrition as an effective tool has been considered in increasing the economic productivity of orchards, increasing the efficiency of fertilizers, improving nutrients and soil fertility and plant nutrition in recent years. 
   The use of integrated management methods of soil fertility and plant nutrition provides the conditions to achieve the highest productivity of inputs to access economic performance by using the power of soil and region.
   Considering to high climate potential in different parts of the country for olive production and the special importance of olive among other orchard products, the use of different methods in fertilization application depending on climatic conditions, type of cultivar, orchards age, soil characteristics and economic conditions of gardeners to achieve for optimal yield, it is necessity requires that to prepare a database of nutritional status and fertility of olive orchards, growth status and yield under the conditions of integrated management of soil fertility and plant nutrition. Also by conducting this national mega research project at the country and under the integrated management of soil fertility and plant nutrition simultaneously, favorable conditions will be provided to calibrate the previous findings.
Program Objectives.

[  Increase yields and improve the productivity of olive orchards in different provinces of the country by using integrated management of soil fertility and plant nutrition
[Improving the nutritional status of the country's olive orchards by using integrated management of soil fertility and plant nutrition
[ Assessing and determining the land suitability of olive orchards in different provinces of the country
[ Determining the reference numbers of nutrients in olive orchards leaves for optimal yields
[ Increase income and improve farmers' livelihoods.

Project research axes
   “National Project of Integrated Soil Fertility and Nutrition Management in Olive Orchards” is implementing for 3 years in 254 pilots with an area of more than 900 hectares of olive orchards in 22 regions of 20 provinces by order of the Deputy Minister of Horticulture of the Ministry of Agriculture-Jahad (Olive Office). 
  The overall goal of this mega project is to increase the yield and fruit quality of olive orchards as a result of using different methods of integrated management of soil fertility and plant nutrition, and it is expected that the outputs of this project will develop a comprehensive soil fertility and plant nutrition for olive orchards as well as an intelligent system that can recommend the appropriate fertilizer requirements. To achieve the goals of this project, seven sub-projects have been defined as follows:

1)  Land suitability assessment for olive orchards in the country.
2)  Identifying the nutritional status of the country's olive orchards.
3)  Investigating the relationship between soil characteristics and fertilizer requirements of trees in olive orchards.
4)  Determining the reference numbers of nutrients in olive orchards leaves for optimal yields.
5)  The effect of integrated management of soil fertility and plant nutrition on economic production of olives in different climatic conditions of the country.
6)  The effect of biofertilizer consumption on improving the nutritional status and yield of olive orchards in the country.
7)  Definition and development of software (application) for nutritional management of olive orchards.