Tools to Trace Truffles in Soil
Abstract
Different methodological tools have been developed to trace truffles in soil, from fruiting body collections and mycorrhiza morphotyping to recent high-sensitive, molecular techniques able to detect specific truffle DNA markers in the soil. Recent findings in disclosing the biological cycle of truffles based on molecular research have represented a significant step forward toward a rational cultivation. On the other hand, the relationships among the different phases of the symbiosis, mycorrhizas, extraradical mycelium, and fruiting body formation, remain unsolved. The detection and quantification of truffle mycelium in the soil along the truffle development might be the key to understand the processes leading to fertilization and fruiting body formation. Also, the knowledge of soil mycelium dynamics, at temporal and spatial scales, is necessary to evaluate the fungal responses to environmental changes and to develop appropriate management techniques to ensure fungal persistence and regular fruiting body production.