Advances in Desert Truffle Mycorrhization and Cultivation

Abstract

A review of the results obtained so far on the biology of desert truffles, and especially in the symbiosis between Helianthemum almeriense and Terfezia claveryi, is presented with the aim of making a socio-economic use of this natural resource from the southeast of Spain and the Mediterranean Basin. The mycorrhizal morphology between different species of the Helianthemum genus with T. claveryi has been characterized as an ectendomycorrhiza continuum, where the presence of intercellular and intracellular hyphae is always found along the same root. The obstacles found in the production of mycorrhized plants are analysed, and the solutions by using photoautotrophic micropropagation systems, optimization of mycelial culture conditions or the use of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPR) are exposed. In addition, the physiological and molecular mechanisms, which regulate the tolerance of this symbiosis to water stress, are discussed through the role of plant and/or fungal aquaporins. Finally, the latest advances in the cultivation and mycosilviculture of T. claveryi are commented.