Narrative
Information on this variety from Bulletin 720, Olive Varieties in California, by Hartman and Papaioannou, California Agricultural Experiment Station, University of California, Berkeley, February 1951: Sevillano derives its name from Sevilla, the province in Spain where it originated. It is grown there in large quantities, which are exported as Spanish-green fermented olives. This variety is also grown commercially in France, Palestine, Argentina, Portugal, Algeria, Chile, and Australia. Sevillano was brought into California about 1885. When the emphasis of the California olive industry shifted in 1910 from oil to pickling, this variety was widely used in top-working trees of the small-fruited oil types, especially in the Corning area. Mature Sevillano trees vary considerably in size. With favorable soil and climatic conditions, they often attain a height of 25 to 35 feet. In poor soil, they remain quite small. Because their tendency is to spread rather than to grow upright, harvesting is relatively easy. Unlike other commercial varieties, Sevillano fails to root satisfactorily from cuttings. It is usually propagated by grafting onto seedlings of other varieties. Soft-wood cuttings, however, have been grown successfully when treated with certain root promoting substances. Although Sevillano is resistant to peacock spot, it is quite susceptible to olive knot. This variety is susceptible also to three other diseases ("soft nose," "split pit," and "shotberry"). Sevillano bears somewhat erratically in California. It is not as dependable in setting regular crops as either Manzanillo or Barouni. Harvest is generally from mid to late October - after Ascolano, Barouni, and Manzanillo, but before Mission. Most packers consider this variety more difficult to process and the quality somewhat lower than either Mission or Manzanillo. (See Bulletin 720 for more information).