Aim of study: In recent decades the cultivation of the black truffle Tuber melanosporum has expanded across all the Mediterranean-climate regions, but also to other regions outside the European standard for the species. We aim to describe the current extent of T. melanosporum cultivation.Area of study: Tuber melanosporum plantations in Europe, the Mediterranean basin, Australia, New Zealand, China, America and South Africa.Material and Methods: The socioeconomic impact of T. melanosporum cultivation, the way in which the current situation has been achieved and the knowledge needed for its progress are reviewed.Research highlights: T. melanosporum has been successfully cultivated in several countries outside its natural area, but many practices are still empirical and thus yields cannot be guaranteed. The recent advances in molecular techniques and genome science are helping to overcome some of the difficulties traditionally constraining truffle research. The role of truffles as a transitional element between agricultural and forestry activities makes its cultivation a paradigm of sustainable rural development.Keywords: Tuber melanosporum; Europe; Australia; New Zealand; Chile; USA.
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 ...
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