Abstract
Desert truffles are edible hypogeous (forming fruit bodies below ground) fungi that grow in semi-arid and arid areas. They are highly valued for both their culinary and medicinal properties in the Mediterranean basin, the Middle East and the Gulf areas. Desert truffles form mycorrhizae mostly with plants belonging to the Cistaceae family, mainly with Helianthemum species. These truffles are still, usually, collected from the wild, but loss of habitats due to urbanization, desertification, intensive agriculture and global warming, along with an urgent need to develop new crops adapted to arid conditions, are currently hastening efforts towards their domestication. Here, we sum up the successful research leading to cultivation of this crop, based on plots that were established in sandy to silt soils with high pH values and low mineral contents. We report suitable methods for production of mycorrhized seedlings and preferred planting methods. We found that under natural conditions yields are affected by water availability, so irrigation regimes to ensure good yields were sought. Although good yields were indeed obtained in some years, fluctuations in yields over the years were significant; the reasons for this are not entirely clear and are currently under study. This crop is particularly well suited to relatively marginal conditions but prospects for establishment of desert truffles as a niche crop for arid and semi-arid areas depend on further improvements in yields.
Highlights
The term ‘desert truffles’ is used to describe edible hypogeous fungi growing in arid areas around the world
The first report of a successful desert truffle plantation came from Spain where the first Terfezia claveryi Chatin fruit bodies were collected in symbiosis with Helianthemum almeriense Pau in 2001 [37]
We review practices for desert truffle cultivation of two species of Terfezia, T. claveryi and T. boudieri, mycorrhizing two species of Helianthemum, H. almeriense and Helianthemum sessiliflorum (Desf.) Pers, respectively, under different soil and climatic conditions, with both symbiotic pairs being suitable for cultivation under arid conditions
Summary
The term ‘desert truffles’ is used to describe edible hypogeous fungi growing in arid areas around the world. The best-known genera of desert truffles, Terfezia and Tirmania, have been shown to be members of the Pezizaceae family [15,16]. The fruit bodies—truffles—appear in the rainy season, which normally runs from January/February to April/May, depending on the area To this day, desert truffles are mainly collected from the wild by desert dwellers. The first report of a successful desert truffle plantation came from Spain where the first Terfezia claveryi Chatin fruit bodies were collected in symbiosis with Helianthemum almeriense Pau in 2001 [37]. We review practices for desert truffle cultivation of two species of Terfezia, T. claveryi and T. boudieri, mycorrhizing two species of Helianthemum, H. almeriense and Helianthemum sessiliflorum (Desf.) Pers, respectively, under different soil and climatic conditions, with both symbiotic pairs being suitable for cultivation under arid conditions. The rationale underlying the review is to report successful practices adopted by our two groups (Spanish and Israeli), based on our latest findings, and to provide recommendations for establishing desert truffle plots, with the aim to expand farmers’ options for crops suitable for arid and semi-arid conditions
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