CHEMLAL DE KABYLIE
Country: Algeria
Purpose: Oil
Distribution: Center-east of Algeria (Great Kabylia). It is present on both slopes of the Djurdjura range, from Khemis and Akbou, passing through Tizi Ouzou and Bouïra. It covers about 30% of the olive-growing acreage of the country.
Synonyms: “Achamlal”, “Achamli”; “Achemlal”, “Chemlal Blanche d’Ali-Chérif”, “Chemlal”, “Chemlal de L’Oued-Aissi”, “Chemlal de Tizi-Ouzou”, “Chemlal Précoce de Tazmalt”, “Petit Chemlal Pendant”.
Agronomic and commercial considerations:
It is a self-incompatible cultivar with an early flowering, therefore it requires relatively early flowering pollinators. The most commonly used cultivar to this purpose is “Azeradj”, with a contemporaneous flowering. The Chemalal de Kabylie variety is vigorous with an open habit and a high productivity affected by an alternating bearing. The cultivar has a low rooting ability; however, it has a good response to grafting, even in wild olive trees, this probably explains the great diffusion and variety of forms. It has a late ripening and a high resistance to fruit detachment. The oil produced by this variety is of an excellent quality even if the yield is low. It is resistant either to cold and high temperatures. It is also considered moderately resistant to olive leaf spot (Cycloconium oleagineum) but sensitive to the verticillium wilt (Verticillium dahlia) and the olive knot (Pseudomonas savastanoi).
