The institute

The Institute of Olive Tree Subtropical Plants and Viticulture (IOSV) is one of the 11 Institutes of the General Directorate of Agricultural Research of ELGO-DIMITRA. It was established in 2014 with its headquarters in Chania by merging older Institutes and agricultural research stations. In its current form, it has four additional departments in Heraklion, Athens, Kalamata, and Lesvos.

IOSV conducts research on issues related to:

Traditional Mediterranean crops (olive, vine, citrus, figs, and vegetables), as well as alternative new crops of the subtropical/tropical zone (avocado, mango, litchi, etc.) and in the following areas:

1. Modernization of cultivation techniques and use of new technologies in the production system (geoinformatics/precision farming)
2. Adapting crops to climate change and embedding integrated management practices.
3. Horticulture under cover focusing on off-farm cultivation, optimization of water and nutrient use and post-harvest physiology of the fruit produced
4. Plant protection with emphasis on endemic and emerging diseases and animal pests of crops, the development of new technologies with emphasis on their integrated management, the development of innovative diagnostic methods and the study of population structure, biology, physiology, genetics of animal pests.
5. Collection and conservation of genetic material, namely olive (Chania, Lesvos, Messinia), citrus (Chania), subtropical plants (Chania), fig (Messinia) and vine (Lykovrisi, Heraklion).
6. Evaluation and genetic improvement of the above material and creation of new varieties.
7. Study of the influence of biotic/abiotic factors, genotype, and post-harvest handling on olive oil quality.

IOSV has specific research and service structures. In particular:

• Laboratories accredited according to ELOT EN ISO/IEC 17025 for the chemical and sensory analysis of olive oil (Chania, Kalamata, Lesvos)
• Soil and plant tissue analysis laboratory (Chania)
• Laboratories for the diagnostic control of pest and disease infestations (Heraklion, Chania)
• Laboratories for molecular identification of genetic material (Heraklion, Athens)
• Provision of certified propagating material from varieties of the National Catalogue maintained by the Institute.

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