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a b s t r a c tSpecific microsatellites (SSRs) markers were used to characterize a set of 32 Tunisian pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) cultivars. Using 13 SSR primers, a total of 40 alleles and 46 genotypes have been identified. As a result, data proved that a high level of polymorphism characterizes the Tunisian pomegranate germplasm at the DNA level. The derived Neighbour-joining (NJ) dendrogram constructed using DAS genetic distances exhibited a genetic diversity structured independently from the geographical origin of cultivars and their denomination. This result suggested that a common genetic basis may characterize Tunisian pomegranate cultivars despite their phenotypic divergences. Furthermore, based on the multilocus genotypes a cultivar's identification key has been established and permitted to unambiguously differentiate between varieties. The obtained results are discussed in term of establishment and management of a national collection of pomegranate varieties, conformity checks, identification of homonyms and synonyms, and screening of the local resources. Furthermore, this microsatellite-based key is a first step towards a marker-assisted identification pomegranate database.