Five new olive (Olea europaea L.) cultivars issued from a Tunisian breeding program were released in 2017. This program aimed to improve the oil quality of the local cultivar 'Chemlali Sfax' which had mainly low oleic acid content. A wide genetic diversity was observed within the new cultivars which differ from the typical cultivar. The results of the morphological evaluation of the leaf, fruit and stone showed mainly a significant increase of the fruit size (medium) and the appearance of new morphological states for the fruit and the stone. permits unrestricted, use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, or format for any purpose, even commercially provided the work is properly cited. Attribution -You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made.Research Article released cultivars planted in the comparative field trial established in 2005.

The new olive cultivar ‘Chemlali Mhassen’ was derived from the autopollination of the Tunisian oil cultivar ‘Chemlali Sfax’. The main morphological differences between the two cultivars were observed on the endocarp (symmetry, position of maximum diameter, apex, base and surface). On the agronomic plan, this cultivar is distinguishable from the original cultivar due to its medium earliness of bearing (4 years), medium alternate bearing (0.44), early ripening, moderate sensitivity to verticillium and its high olive production per tree (7.7 kg). Concerning oil quality, ‘Chemlali Mhassen’ had higher performances than the original cultivar for oleic acid content (70 to 77 %) and lower contents for palmitic acid (9.2 to 11.5 %) and linoleic acid (9.3 to 14.7 %). Similar performances were recorded between the new and the original cultivars for rhizogenesis behavior and pollen compatibility.

An olive breeding program was started in Tunisia in 1993 in order mainly to improve the fatty acid composition of the local cultivar ‘Chemlali Sfax’. ‘Zeitoun Ennour’ is a new cultivar obtained from a cross between ‘Chemlali Sfax’ and the local dual-purpose use cultivar ‘Chemchali Gafsa’. The morphological study of this cultivar showed that eleven characters dealing with fruit and endocarp differed from ‘Chemlali Sfax’, mainly regarding to their respective weights. This new cultivar had the same sensitivity to Verticillium dahliae Kleb and earlier bearing than the original variety. Its olive production was considered as high as for ‘Chemlali Sfax’ but with partial self-compatibility and late maturity. The new cultivar realized a net improvement in comparison with the original cultivar particularly regarding its fatty acid composition with very high oleic acid content (>75 %) and low palmitic and linoleic acid contents (<10 %). The new cultivar was recently released and will be available for growers as soon as possible.

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