The coming truffle season looks good in Spain, several growers are founding the first “chapas” even earlier than previous years, this is how we call early truffle fruiting in Spanish, normally cracking soil surface, or while we check moisture inside ..read more

More than 200 growers have already attended the last 12 editions. Want to know what you will do all that week? check it here: https://barcelonatruffletour.com/tour ..read more

A new paper has just been released from the CITA research group in Spain to investigate whether the agronomic practice of truffle nests (spanish wells when using peat-moss based products) affects black truffle aroma, as peat-moss has different physico-chemical properties ..read more

I´ve been working with truffles in the last 28 years and honestly last season was one of the worst I´ve seen in many areas in Spain. Catalonia and Teruel region had a really bad season, while some areas further north and west (Navarra, Alava, Burgos, Soria, Guadalajara…) had a cooler weather and more rain, so had a good harvest, similar to the previous 2022-23 (that was a bad one anyway). It is the first time I´ve seen truffle prices in Spain being higher than in France, as their harvest this winter was better than in Spain. Production has been definitely lower than 22-23 and less than half o ..read more

Tuber magnatum Picco is the most expensive of the truffles and lots of research has been carried out in an attempt to understand its ecology and biology. There is a lot of information on its life cycle that remain unclear and that made its cultivation extremely difficult and only recently have we had the scientific proofs that it could be possible.  T. magnatum is considered the best truffle because of its intense aroma and unique flavour. As a consequence, Italian retail prices for T. magnatum are higher than for any other truffle and make it one of the world’s most expensive foods, wit ..read more

I´ve been invited as a keynote speaker at the next NATGA congress in Paso Robles, CA, to be done next October 8th-10th. The organization has created a great event, mix of technical features with field visits and tastings, even allowing stands related to the truffle industry and suppliers…maybe a new “truffle festival” is born in CA? See more information here: https://trufflegrowers.com/event/fall-2023-truffle-congress-paso-robles-ca/ Come and join us! I´m looking forward to meet growers and friends there in 30 days from today! Cheers, Marcos Morcillo ..read more

A new paper was published early this year: Tuber melanosporum drives the symbiosis with Castanea sativa seedlings under greenhouse conditions and high calcium levels Because chestnuts normally grow on not alcaline soils, in this research they focused on the effects of Ca++ and carbonate in truffle growth. Therefore, it is well explained the calcium paradox, where the truffle mycelium, with its “rock eating capacity” helps to solubilise the Ca++ and active carbonate (<50 microns), pumps Ca++ ion to the tree, while at the same time increases soil pH and creates some nutrient d ..read more

the black truffle season in Spain begins in mid-November and lasts until mid-March. It has been very good in terms of productions, similar to the previous year in many areas and maybe 20% lower in other regions. The problem, as we all expected after seeing the truffle market in the southern hemisphere a few months earlier, has been the prices, because the restaurants and hotels have been half closed. In addition, the year 2020 affected the storm Gloria, which left 200mm of water at once, leaving the soil of many plantations excessively compact and due to the Covid confinement, many truffle g ..read more

The other paper I wanted to talk is Edaphic and temporal patterns of Tuber melanosporum fruit body traits and effect of localised peat-based amendment In this study, authors aim to investigate T. melanosporum fruit bodies (FB) traits such as weight, maturity, shape and probability of Leiodes infestation comparing in different soil types and inside nests or spanish wells. Truffle growers claim that nests increase truffle quality, although some growers warn on the issues related to the re-wetting problem of peat after drying, while others consider that truffle growing in nests present ..read more

Diario de Teruel has just published this interesting figure about truffle farming in Aragon area in central Spain, the epicenter of truffle growing in Spain and where probably comes from around 70% of the world black truffle! Teruel has the 78,2% of the hectares already in production in Aragón and 67% from the total planted in the whole region.  5.500 hectares are in production in Teruel, and 844 hectares with irrigation systems. The effort to get water and invest in irrigation has busted production in the area with regular yields year to year. The Teruel growers Association is promoting ..read more