They emit intense aromas of garlic, cheese and methane, and are so rare that they can fetch up to 9% of their original price. The puzzle of how to cultivate the white truffle on a commercial scale appears to have been solved after more than 50 years.
Scientists from the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment will reveal this week that they have cultivated 26 white truffles.
White Périgord truffles are rare and previous attempts to grow them have failed. After two productive years at the experimental plantation, this bumper harvest is upon us.
The increase in production is very promising according to the mycologist and project leader. The truffle is established.
It is normal to have a small amount of black truffles first and then an increase, which is good news for future growth.
Striking relationships with tree species are formed by linking up with their roots. Extra water and minerals are delivered to trees.
The establishment of thousands of plantations in France, Italy and Spain can be traced back to the invention of a way to inoculate trees. The same technique didn't work with the Italian white truffles.
Researchers think that a few truffles were found in the plantations 15-20 years after planting because they were native to the area.
Researchers at the Pépinires Robin nursery in France produced oak trees genetically confirmed to have partners Italian white truffles. The trees were planted in 2008
The fungus was found in soil samples from four of the five sites that were outside the country where it occurs naturally.
The orchards in Nouvelle-Aquitaine yielded three and four truffles, respectively, in 2019. In total, the 26 found in the year 2021. Twelve of the 52 oaks planted in 2015 have produced something.
Prof Paul Thomas, a Scotland-based mycologist whose company Mycorrhizal Systems works with commercial partners to develop black, said it is the first time Tuber magnatum fruiting bodies have been grown in significant numbers outside its natural range. We need to know more about how they did it and how to replicate it.
Grow your own mushrooms.
The details of the conditions in which the truffles were grown will be published in the magazine of the French Federation of Truffle Growers.
The president of the French Federation of Truffle Growers said that they need to see the results of further experiments, but that they could be an attractive option for growers.
Some argue that rising temperatures and reduced water availability in Spain, Italy and southern France are opening up opportunities for entrepreneurs in the UK. With acres of calcareous soil and less water stress, there is a good chance of white truffles being grown in the UK.
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