Genetic characterization of olive tree (Olea europaea L.) intended for oil production in Corsica

The olive orchard, in Corsica (France), has a large number of olive cultivars growing in different areas with various pedo-climatic conditions. Eight main oil-producing cultivars were characterized both at the morphological and molecular level. Morphological characters did not ensure a complete characterization. Indeed, environmental factors renders difficult the cultivar identification on the basis of the phenotype. Therefore, molecular markers, obtained with the RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA) technique were needed. They revealed only four genotypes out of eight cultivars.