BIOCHEMICAL, MINERAL AND ANATOMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OLIVE TREE CV. CHETOUI GROWING IN SEVERAL TUNISIAN AREAS

To tolerate harsh climatic conditions, olive tree Chetoui has developed some anatomic, physiologic and biochemical mechanisms. The aim of this study was to determine the indicators of stress in leaves, stems and roots growing under various climatic conditions. To protect against stress conditions this cultivar increased cuticle thickness, protective structures and building parenchyma tissues of leaves, woods and roots from the North to the South. The volatile compounds, extracted from northern and southern Chetoui leaves and roots, were analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. Great changes in volatiles were illustrated in the studied organs, by enrichment in phenolics and fatty acids for leaves and in hydrocarbons for roots of southern Chetoui. Also, a reduction in terpenes, alcohols and carbonylic compounds was noted in both southern samples. Moreover, minerals of all organs of Chetoui, varied in content and allocation, but their levels are the highest in leaves. The changes in volatiles might be affected by changes in the mineral elements uptake or accumulation under environment stress. A significant correlation was noted between phenolic compounds and sodium, nitrogen, and calcium contents. However, terpenoids was highly correlated with phosphorus content for all organs and studied areas. The detection of new volatiles, anatomical and mineral changes seem to be efficient indicators of adaptation of Chetoui to environment stress conditions.