TITLE:
Linking Climate Variables with Tuber borchii Sporocarps Production
AUTHORS:
Elena Salerni, Claudia Perini, Lorenzo Gardin
KEYWORDS:
Tuber borchii, Rainfall and Temperature Variations, Fruiting Production, Multiple Linear Regression, General Linear Model
JOURNAL NAME:
Natural Resources,
Vol.5 No.8,
June
30,
2014
ABSTRACT: Tuber borchii is an ectomycorrhizal edible truffle,
commonly called “bianchetto”
(whitish truffle) to distinguish it from the more valuable white truffle found
in Italy (T. magnatum). Although Tuber borchii also has a fairly high
commercial value, information on its ecology, and especially its optimum
rainfall and temperature values are lacking. In recent years the issue of
climate change has steadily grown in importance, not only in the scientific
world, but also politically and in civil society. Over the last century there
has been a general increase in the temperature in Italy of about 1°C. Several
studies have underlined how climatic changes influence the optimum growth and
distribution of various species of truffle. This contribution aims to
illustrate the fluctuation of T. borchii sporocarps
production in different timescales and show how these alterations are driven by
rainfall and temperature factors. The research, carried out in five different
natural T. borchii production areas,
reveals that the production of truffles is significantly higher after autumn
months characterized by abundant rainfall and cold temperatures.