Editing Olive (section)

===Cultivars===
{{Main|List of olive cultivars}}
Hundreds of cultivars of the olive tree are known.<ref name="encyclopedia1996">{{citation|title=World Olive Encyclopedia|publisher=[[International Olive Council]]|year=1996|isbn=978-8401618819}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Lanza, Fabrizia |title=Olive: A Global History|year=2012|publisher=Reaktion Books|isbn=978-1-86189-972-9|pages=106–110}}</ref> An olive's cultivar has a significant impact on its colour, size, shape, and growth characteristics, as well as the qualities of olive oil.<ref name="encyclopedia1996"/> Olive cultivars may be used primarily for oil, eating, or both. Olives cultivated for consumption are generally referred to as "table olives".<ref name="Fernández, A. Garrido 1997">{{cite book|author1=Garrido Fernandez, A. |author2=Fernandez-Diez, M.J. |author3=Adams, M.R. |title=Table Olives: Production and Processing|year=1997|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-0-412-71810-6|pages=23–45}}</ref>

Since many olive cultivars are [[Self-incompatibility|self-sterile]] or nearly so, they are generally planted in pairs with a single primary cultivar and a secondary cultivar selected for its ability to fertilize the primary one. In recent times, efforts have been directed at producing hybrid cultivars with qualities useful to farmers, such as resistance to disease,<ref name=j8/> quick growth, and larger or more consistent crops.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}