Publications

Publications

Books and peer reviewed scientific paper relevant to the truffle industry

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.

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.

Variability and trends of black truffle production in Spain (1970-2017): Linkages to climate, host growth, and human factors

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.