An Assessment Study of Olive a New Crop Adopted in Algerian Oases: A Case Study of the Oasis of El-Oued Province

Abstract

Olive cultivation occupies an important place in the world, especially in the Mediterranean region. The main aim of this paper is to give an overview on reality and prospects of the olive cultivation sector as a new crop recently adopted in an arid environment (El-Oued province in Algerian Sahara). The study pertains to analysis of statistics series concerning olive cultivation, obtained from Directorate of Agricultural Affairs of El-Oued province covering a period of 20 years. The results of the study showed that the morphological and physiological characteristics of the olive tree helped in its spread in the arid regions. The last statistic of 2018 showed that the province contains more than 1.05 million olive trees covering an area of 2815 ha, where 57% are in the stage of production. About 54.5% of olive tree production are addressed to oil production, while 45.5% are directed to table consumption. The productivity of olive ranged between 3.5 and 20.5 kg tree-1, while oil productivity reached 13 L quintal-1. In 2018, the province produced 20520 quintals of table olive and 3200 hectoliter of oil. Following the success of olive cultivation in this new harsh environment, future efforts should focus on improving quality and quantity of production, as well as selecting new varieties more suitable for dry environments through breeding programs. Besides these efforts, disseminating knowledge of this new crop among local farmers, through the continuous mentoring by technicians and agricultural consultants will boost its production thoroughly. Key words: Olea europaea L., cultivar, oil, olive cultivation, oasis.