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Nizip Yağlık olive: characteristics, oil content and growing areas

The southeast's main oil variety and one of the rare self-fertile cultivars on the list — it crops even without a pollinator.

26 August 2026 Zeytin.NET editorial desk Olive 2 min read 67 views

Nizip Yağlık is southeastern Anatolia's main oil variety, and it has one distinction on this list: it is self-fertile. It sets a crop without a pollinator variety — rare among olives.

Nizip Yağlık in numbers

Nizip Yağlık olive — measured values
Oil content	27%
Fruits per kilo	455
Flesh ratio	83%
Use	Oil and table
Main areas	Nizip, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaraş, Mardin

Source: Efe, Soykan, Cürebal and Sönmez (2016), Zeytin Kitabı. Fields the source leaves blank are shown as "—"; nothing has been estimated.

Nizip Yağlık olive: characteristics, oil content and growing areas

Why self-fertility matters

Most olive varieties are self-sterile or partially self-fertile, needing pollen from another variety for a full crop. An isolation trial on five varieties in a grove at Koruklu, Şanlıurfa, produced this picture:

Self-fertility trial in the GAP region
Variety	Status
Nizip Yağlık	Self-fertile
Delice (wild olive)	Self-fertile
Domat	Partially self-fertile
Gemlik	Partially self-fertile
Yuvarlak Halhalı	Self-sterile

Nizip Yağlık's self-fertility means a single-variety block is viable in the southeast. Not having to set aside pollinator rows also simplifies planting on tight ground.

An oil variety that also goes to the table

At 27% oil it is clearly an oil variety, yet Nizip Yağlık is also used locally for the table. Its flesh ratio of 81% is among the lowest on the list — the stone is relatively large; the table use rests on local taste, not on size.

Genetic work has shown Nizip Yağlık shares over 60% similarity with Domat, Gemlik, Kilis Yağlık and Manzanilla — most of Türkiye's main varieties come from a closely related pool.

In short

At 27% oil, Nizip Yağlık is the southeast's main oil variety, and it stands out for being self-fertile. Being able to plant a single-variety block without pollinator rows is a real advantage on tight ground.

Where it stands among measured varieties

Flesh ratio 83% 46 measured · rank 35.

Zoncuk avg 83,8% Mavi

çeşit sayfası

Oil content 27% 39 measured · rank 6.

Tavsanyuregi avg 22,6% Kalem Bezi

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Fruit length 21 mm 37 measured · rank 30.

Arbequina avg 23,6 mm Karamursel Su

Fruit width 17 mm 37 measured · rank 22.

Arbequina avg 17,4 mm Celebi

Fruits per kilogram 455 28 measured · rank 4.

Karamursel Su avg 290,4 Kilis Yaglik

Values are those published on each variety's own page; the comparison covers only varieties with a measured figure, so it is a comparison of what is known — not of every Turkish variety. See the full ranking and how it is built →