by the developing fruit. In September, increased soil respiration
was observed in both in-row and inter-row positions which may be
associated both with the putative growth of new roots (root respiration)
and also with the rise in soil moisture levels
(microbial respiration), especially in the inter-row, following early autumn
rainfall . A rapid rise of soil CO2 emission
following the first significant autumn rainfall has been observed
in olive groves A possible explanation for a
burst of CO2 emission following rainfall could be the microbial oxidation
of labile soil organic matter, which is exposed as drying and
wetting physically disrupts soil aggregates and micro-organisms.