BUGA
Country: Slovenia
Purpose: Oil
Synonyms: “Belica”, “Campeglio”, “Medeazza”, “San Rocco”, “Istarsk Belica”, “Tonda di Villa”, “Fiaschetti”, “Sbusa”, “Feminskula”, “Busiaro”, “Boga”, “Busa”, “Buza”.
Distribution: 1 continent
Europe
A borderland olive culture in the Upper Adriatic
In Europe, Buga is documented in Upper Adriatic territories—especially across the Friulian area and Istria—where olive growing sits in a transition landscape between Mediterranean influence and more continental conditions.
In these environments, the cultivar is read as part of a local mosaic: the olive tree is not only a crop, but a long-term agricultural presence that must deal with more demanding winters and with technical choices aligned to site limits. In this sense, Buga is considered suitable even for new orchards placed near the species’ cultivation boundary, provided its production profile is taken into account.
For TGoP, Buga in Europe highlights cooperation among neighboring territories: pollination management (in relation to cultivars such as Bianchera and Rocca Bernarda) and adaptation in “frontier” conditions make visible a core idea of the project—that agricultural continuity is built through concrete territorial networks, not administrative borders.
Agronomic and commercial considerations: The variety is self-incompatible. It blossoms at the same time as “Bianchera” and “Rocca Bernarda”, even if the fruit set ends earlier. It has a good productivity, but the oil content is very low. Fruits are medium-sized and ripen early, at the end of October. Is considered an alternate variety. The early and high productivity together with the high degree of environmental compatibility, make the variety feasible for new installations in environments at the limit of the species cultivation. It must be considered, however, its limited capacity for oil synthesis. It is moderately susceptible to the olive fruit fly (Bactrocera oleae), to the olive leaf spot (Cycloconium oleaginum) and to the olive knot (Pseudomonas savastanoi).