Genetic variation in the olive tree (Olea europaea L.) cultivated in Morocco

Genetic variation was studied using enzyme polymorphism at 8 loci in ancient olive trees. These were being cultivated in 10 sites along a transect from North (Pre-Rif) to South (Anti-Atlas), involving the main ecological areas where the species is cultivated in Morocco. For the 328 trees studied, 16 alleles and 68 multilocus genotypes, of which one was present in more than half the individuals analysed, were detected. Eighty seven per cent of the total genetic diversity was attributable to within site variation and showed a high proportion of local genotypes. The highest values for both genotype number and heterozygosity were observed in the South of Morocco. Such high variation may be due to the partial domestication of olive material which may be derived from crosses between cultivars or between cultivars and ‘feral’ or wild olive (oleaster) trees growing frequently in the Southern region. Genetic diversity in Moroccan olive, constitutes an important genetic resource which must be conserved for further breeding.