Introduction Tunisia is the main olive producing country in the southern Mediterranean. 34% of its cultivated land is devoted to olive growing, which extends from the north to the south of the country. This sector plays, economic, social and environmental roles, contributing to food security, job creation, equilibrium of the commercial balance, preservation of natural resources and limitation of the rural exodus. The olive forest is dominated by the oil cultivars, Chemlali in the center and south of the country, and Chetoui in the north. Chemlali alone occupies 56% of the olive-growing area and represents 69% of the total number of olive trees