Publications

Publications

Books and peer reviewed scientific paper relevant to the truffle industry

Soil surface rock fragments

Soil analysis is conducted on the fine fraction, or the soil that passes through a 2 mm sieve. Surface rock fragment class is the mineral material that does not pass through the sieve; it is normally recorded on a volumetric basis. The amount of rock fragments affects soil properties such as the amount of available water and nutrients, the rate at which soil temperature changes, the originating soil parent material, the history of the soil and may dictate management practices. In truffle orchards, rock fragments can cause irregularly shaped truffles and lower truffle quality.

Soil and plant testing for truffle cultivation in North America by Shannon M. Berch and Mark Coleman

Purpose of this document
Part 1: Soil testing for truffle cultivation
Part 2: Plant nutrition tests for truffle cultivation
Part 3: Interpretation of soil and plant tests
Appendix 1: Calculating plant leaf nutrient concentrations in proportion to N concentration
Appendix 2: Units and conversions back to a standard with which recommendations are made
Literature references

Thinking about truffle cultivation? Things to consider – Shannon Berch and Inga Meadows

The aim of this document is to briefly highlight factors/elements/challenges/issues to consider if you are thinking of getting into truffle cultivation. NATGA’s mission is to promote awareness, growth, and development of the truffle industry in North America by researching best practices in all aspects of the industry and sharing information between growers. NATGA aims to provide more detailed guidance as it becomes available.

Edible fungi crops through mycoforestry, potential for carbon negative food production and mitigation of food and forestry conflicts

Demand for agricultural land is a potent accelerating driver of global deforestation, presenting multiple interacting issues at different spatiotemporal scales. Here we show that inoculating the root system of tree planting stock with edible ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) can reduce the food-forestry land-use conflict, enabling appropriately managed forestry plantations to contribute to protein and calorie production and potentially increasing carbon sequestration.

The development of affordable and reliable DNA-based analysis protocols and sampling procedures for the detection of commercial truffle species used in truffle cultivation

This project addresses a challenge in the truffle industry, specifically the detection and monitoring of truffle fungi during the many-year period of orchard establishment before truffles can be expected to start producing. The successful colonization of the host tree by a commercial truffle fungus and the retention and spread of that fungus on the roots are critical for successful orchard establishment, yet growers have limited tools to monitor and confirm this process. We adapted and developed reliable DNA extraction methods for orchard soil, DNA fingerprinting methods for the major commercial truffle species, and field sampling procedures for the detection and identification of truffle fungi in orchard soil.

First production of Italian white truffle (Tuber magnatum Pico) ascocarps in an orchard outside its natural range distribution in France

These results demonstrate the feasibility of T. magnatum cultivation worldwide by planting mycorrhized plants. The cultivation of T. magnatum could therefore become a real opportunity for farmers and could respond to the high demand of this high-priced food.

Is Tuber brumale a Threat to T. melanosporum and T. aestivum Plantations?

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

Ascoma genotyping and mating type analyses of mycorrhizas and soil mycelia of Tuber borchii in a truffle orchard established by mycelial inoculated plants

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.