Agronomic and morphological study of two autochthones Tunisian olive varieties “Neb Jmel ” and “El Hor”

In Tunisia, little is known about the existing olive patrimony. The number of local cultivars is probably underestimated because of the scarce information on minor local varieties. In this present study, we performed a morphological and technological characterization of two autochthones olive varieties “Neb Jmel ” and “El Hor” cultivated in three different geographical locations Béjà, Siliana and Bizerte, with the aim to obtain further information on the diversity of the cultivars in various geographical sites. The varieties “Neb Jmel ” and “El Hor” showed the highest fruit weight (2.06 and 1.68g) in the station of Béja, while Siliana revealed the lowest values (1.28 and 0.75g). The cultivar “El Hor ” revealed a significant fluctuation of the fleshpercentage according to its culture location (varied from 66. 66 to 75%). The oil quality of the studied varieties is classified as extra-virgin oils and varies widely depending on the cultivar and on the geographical location. The oleic acid varied in the individuals of “Neb Jmel ” (from 76.59 to 61.99%) and the highest percentage was found in the region of Siliana. Concerning linolenic (C18:3) and arachidic (C20:0) acids the cultivars of the two studied varieties revealed a high significant difference values between the three studied sites. In this case, we can recommend studying the potentialities of each cultivar in various geographical locations, according to various culture techniques, in orde