Abstract
Tuber aestivum, also known as the summer or Burgundy truffle, is an ectomycorrhizal Ascomycete associated with numerous trees and shrubs. Its life cycle occurs in the soil, and thus soil parameters such as temperature and water availability could influence it. T. aestivum cultivation has started in several countries, but ecological and agronomic requirements for the establishment and management of orchards are largely unknown. The aims of this work were: 1) to design a specific qPCR protocol using genomic data to trace and quantify T. aestivum DNA in the soil; and 2) to assess the monthly soil DNA dynamic according to soil parameters (i.e. soil hydric potential and temperature) in this orchard. The study was conducted in a highly productive T. aestivum orchard (hazels, oaks, pines, lime and hornbeam). The production started five years after the plantation and then increased exponentially to reach a maximum of 320 kg/ha in 2017. The soil hydric potential and temperature partially explained the monthly T. aestivum soil DNA variability. The data presented here offer new insights into T. aestivum ecology and cultivation.
Highlights
Ectomycorrhizal fungi, i.e., which live in symbiosis with tree and shrubs, play important roles in forest functioning and biogeochemical cycles[1]
The aims of this study were: 1) to design a specific qPCR protocol via genomic data to trace and quantify T. aestivum DNA in the soil; and 2) to assess the monthly soil DNA dynamic over 24 months according to soil parameters
Considering the production from 2009 to 2018, the mean quantity of truffle harvested under Corylus avellana, Pinus nigra, Quercus pubescens, and Ttilia cordata was similar, it was significantly higher for Carpinus betulus (Figs 2b and S1)
Summary
Ectomycorrhizal fungi, i.e., which live in symbiosis with tree and shrubs, play important roles in forest functioning and biogeochemical cycles[1]. Besides forest ecosystems, ectomycorrhizal trees were implanted in agroforestry ecosystems and in dedicated orchards for producing non-wood products such as edible fungi. The inoculation of tree seedlings with selected ectomycorrhizal fungi in nurseries (i.e., controlled mycorrhization) started hundred years ago, and this technique has been used extensively to grow truffles since the 1970s3. T. aestivum is the second most cultivated truffle species worldwide[3]. Molinier et al.[17] published a study on the production of T. aestivum followed during 30-years, but this orchard used seedlings inoculated with T. melanosporum. Clear guidelines for orchard management are needed to improve cultivation of this species
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