Abstract
<p><em>Tuber melanosporum</em> is the most valuable of all cultivatable truffle species. Farming of this species spans every continent with the exception of Antarctica. <em>Tuber aestivum</em> (syn. <em>T. uncinatum</em>) and <em>Tuber brumale</em> are truffle species that have similar host plant preference and a similar affinity for calcareous soils as <em>T. melanosporum</em>, but occur over a broader geographic zone. The geographic limit of <em>T. melanosporum</em> is thought to be climatically dictated but it is not known whether this is due to an impact on mycorrhizal survival or climatically-derived fruiting triggers. Here, data is compiled from five cultivated research sites in the climatically sub-optimal conditions of the UK in order to address this question. Here we show:</p><p><em>(</em><strong><em>i</em></strong><em>)Tuber melanosporum</em> mycorrhiza can survive and grow in sub-optimal climatic conditions.</p><p>(<strong><em>ii</em></strong>)It is climatically-derived fruiting triggers and not ectomycorrhiza survival that dictate the climatic preferences and geographic spread of <em>T. melanosporum</em>.</p><p>(<strong><em>iii</em></strong>)Important climatic parameters for potential fruiting triggers are sunshine hours, summer rainfall and summer temperatures.</p><p> </p><p>The data presented here not only aid our understanding of the ecological parameters of <em>T. melanosporum</em> but also have a practical application for truffle cultivators in choosing suitable locations for a plantation.</p>
Highlights
Hypogeous fungi belonging to the genus Tuber are some of the most expensive of all edible fungi, with prices for some species often exceeding thousands of Euros per kilo
The only climatic variable to display a correlation with mycorrhiza abundance was winter temperature (Fig. 2), which accounted for 43% of the variation in mycorrhiza abundance (r2 = 0.428, P < 0.05)
Cooling events in the Quaternary period, such as the younger Dryas, were so pronounced that some regions in which Tuber species naturally exist became devoid of host plant species [30]
Summary
Hypogeous fungi belonging to the genus Tuber (truffles) are some of the most expensive of all edible fungi, with prices for some species often exceeding thousands of Euros per kilo. Natural production plummeted, caused by a number of factors such as habitat destruction and potentially climate change, leading to an increased frequency of drought events [3]. Cultivation of this species was needed to maintain some degree of production and this has been so successful that over 95% of all T. melanosporum harvested in France comes from cultivation. We know that fruiting can be successful in regions with significantly higher rainfall levels or significantly lower summer temperatures than those experienced in the natural range of this species. Two examples are the successful fruiting in the high winter rainfall area of Corvallis, USA [6] and the low summer temperature region of Los Ríos, Chile [7]
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