i F o r e s t: Biogeosciences and Forestry, Research Article: True truffles in the genus Tuber are the most valuable ectomycorrhizal fungi and their cultivation has become widespread around the world. Competition with other ectomycorrhizal fungi and especially with undesired Tuber species
[Public] A team of researchers are conducting a survey of the North American Truffle Industry.
NATGA sees this project as a way to assess the size of our industry, when and where we are productive, growing conditions that work (or don’t work).
We need this data to drive research priorities and funding; and eventually marketing strategies for the industry. In many ways, it is also the beginning of an economic impact study. We need this information before we engage government or private entities for research and marketing funding and assistance.
Truffle farming can be a rewarding experience when truffles are found, but the years between planting your seedlings and before your first harvest can keep you on the edge of your seat! You can take some of the guesswork out of it by having your roots examined for the mycorrhizal association of interest. This webinar will give you an understanding of why and how to have your trees tested, how we do the various tests in the lab, and which truffle fungi we can detect.
In this presentation, Dr. Sannon Berch reviews four scientific publications (see below) that are available for free download or on the NATGA web site under Resources, Papers. Although it is Shannon’s goal to make the science reasonably accessible for non-scientists, she is explaining biological and mycological phenomena and exploring hypothetical scenarios. The paper by Le Tacon et al. (2016) provides an explanation of what is known and still unknown about how truffle fungi reproduce. Since the end result of this reproduction is the truffle, it is important that truffle growers understand the basics. The paper by Garcia-Barreda et al. (2020) examines how soil and season affect truffle traits like weight and maturity, how the installation of ânestsâ or âSpanish wellsâ alters these responses, and how truffle traits and responses to nest installation differ in different soil types. Making sure there is genetic diversity in the truffle orchard through the application of spores (nests or Spanish wells) could be key to enhancing productivity but under what conditions? The paper by Iotti et al. (2016) explores how inoculation of seedlings in the nursery with mycelium rather than spores might permit the selection of truffle strains with superior characteristics. Only Tuber borchii at present lends itself to this kind of strain selection since it is much easier than most other Tuber species to grow in pure culture. We hope that by the end of this webinar, participants will have a better understanding of how truffles are produced and, using this understanding, be better able to evaluate possible future alterations to how truffles are cultivated.
Tuber borchii (the Bianchetto truffle) is a heterothallic Ascomycete living in symbiotic association with trees and shrubs. Maternal and paternal genotype dynamics have already been studied for the black truffles Tuber melanosporum and Tuber aestivum but not yet for T. borchii.
United Nations standards concerning the marketing and commercial quality control of Truffles.
A quality grading system developed using sensory technology and based on chemical signatures (aroma profiles) is proposed to underpin the current truffle grading standards employed by the Australian Truffle Industry.
Black truffle (Tuber melanosporum) is a highly-appreciated fungus that grows below ground during several months, undergoing a series of morphogenetic stages before it is harvested in late autumn or winter. Black truffle production in Spain has been subject to important temporal variation in recent decades.
In Tuber melanosporum cultivation, fruitbody traits are gaining relevance due to their increasing prominence on prices. We investigated the edaphic and temporal patterns of fruitbody traits and characterised the efect of trufe nests (localised peat-based amendment supplemented with T. melanosporum spores) on traits.
Several aspects of the life cycle of the PĂ©rigord black truffle have been elucidated only recently, while others remain either controversial or unstudied. In this paper, we present a revised life cycle of this fungus and highlight key aspects that have yet to be addressed or require further understanding.
