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 effect of truffle nests (localised peat-based amendment supplemented with T. melanosporum spores) on traits. We monitored fruitbody traits throughout two fruiting seasons in three blocks along a soil gradient. Each trait followed specific edaphic and temporal patterns. The number of fruitbodies per dig and spore maturity followed characteristic within-season trends, whereas fruitbody weight and infestation by truffle beetles were subject to complex interactions among edaphic and temporal variables, suggesting a relevant influence of annual environmental conditions. The application of truffle nests increased fruitbody depth, improved its shape and decreased infestation by truffle beetles. Nests increased the number of fruitbodies per dig, but only in two of the soils, suggesting a relevant role of the bulk soil/substrate interface in fruiting initiation. These results outline a complex scenario, with each trait being differently affected by environmental factors. In this scenario, nests proved to effectively modify several traits, although not always in the desired direction. The European black truffle (Tuber melanosporum) is an ectomycorrhizal fungus highly appreciated in "haute cuisine" due to its organoleptic properties. It grows wild in open oak forests of southern Europe, although nowadays most T. melanosporum production is harvested in orchards planted with seedlings previously inoculated in controlled conditions. Truffle cultivation has advanced greatly in recent decades and has expanded worldwide 1. This is leading to an increased and more stable supply of truffles to markets in recent years, thus encouraging price differentiation by quality 2. Commercial quality standards are defined by both pre-harvest fruitbody (FB) traits and post-harvest practices 3. The most important among the former are FB ripeness, gleba colour (associated to spore maturity), abiotic and biotic damages, fresh weight and shape 4. Despite recent advances, truffle cultivation is not completely domesticated yet, as the uncertainties around the mating process and the FB formation process remain 5,6. The environmental mechanisms triggering fruiting and influencing FB development and maturation are still poorly understood 6,7. Edaphic and climatic factors have a key role in ectomycorrhizal FB yields, phenology and morphology 8-10. This is particularly likely to apply to truffles, which grow below ground and require several months to develop and ripen 11,12. Information on the influence of environmental factors on FB traits could help to clarify the ecology of T. melanosporum and could be useful for improving productivity and sustainability in truffle cultivation. Unraveling the linkages between FB traits and edaphoclimatic conditions is difficult because: (1) the long period of formation of truffle FBs hinders the identification of ...
The European black truffle is a mycorrhizal fungus native to Spanish Mediterranean forests. In most Spanish regions it was originally commercially harvested in the second half of the 20th century. Experts agree that wild truffle yields suffered a sharp decline during the 1970s and 1980s. However, official statistics for Spanish harvest are scarce and seemingly conflicting, and little attention has been paid to the regime for the exploitation of truffle-producing forests and its implications on the sustainability of this resource. Trends in harvest from 1969 to 2013 and current harvesting practices were analyzed as a case study, taking into account that Spain is a major truffle producer worldwide, but at the same time truffles have only recently been exploited. The available statistical sources, which include an increasing proportion of cultivated truffles since the mid-1990s, were explored, with estimates from Truffle Harvesters Federation showing higher consistency. Statistical sources were then compared with proxies for wild harvest (rents from truffle leases in public forests) to corroborate time trends in wild harvesting. Results suggest that black truffle production is recovering in recent years thanks to plantations, whereas wild harvest is still declining. The implications of Spanish legal and institutional framework on sustainability of wild truffle use are reviewed. In the current scenario, the decline of wild harvest is likely to continue and eventually make commercial harvesting economically unattractive, thus aggravating sustainability issues. Strengthening of property rights, rationalization of harvesting pressure, forest planning and involvement of public stakeholders are proposed as corrective measures.
Aim of study: In black truffle plantations, many factors are driving the emergence of new pests and diseases which in forestry areas go unnoticed. Usually, the incidence of most of them is low. Nevertheless, in specific cases, some of them are capable of causing irreversible damage that could endanger the harvest or even tree survival.Area of study: This paper presents an in-depth study of the pests and diseases more frequently associated with truffle plantations in the region of Aragón (Spain). Damages have been arranged into the main production stages: nursery, plantations and fruiting bodies.Material and methods: The data used in this work come from the technical enquiries from truffle growers to researchers and technical staff, as well as from field visits undertaken by those work teams.Sampling methodology has been carried out following standard procedures. Insects were collected with the traps commonly used in entomology works.Main result: More than 50 damages have been described in this paper. Some of them are capable of weakening the plants and other can even kill them. Mycorrhizal competitor fungi have also been considered in this paper. These organisms do not cause real phytosanitary problems, but they can lead to important economic losses.Research highlights: Researches, truffle hunters and managers must be alert in the face of the possible occurrence of potentially dangerous organisms. The final aim: being able to take action in an efficient way in the case of a pest outbreak.Keywords: Tuber melanosporum; Quercus; parasites; pests; diseases.
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