Journal
JOURNAL OF FUNGI
Volume 7, Issue 2, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/jof7020102
Keywords
Tuber melanosporum; hypogeous fruitbodies; fruitbody formation; morphological traits; path analysis; truffle cultivation
Categories
Funding
- Spanish Institute for Agronomical Research (INIA) [INIA2016/1/0010, RTA2015-0053-00-00]
- Diputacion de Huesca
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The study examined the causal links among development characters of black truffle fruitbodies, showing a clear relationship between fruitbody weight and shape, but no generalized relationships among characters linked to different development stages. Early-developing fruitbody characters did not influence characters linked to subsequent morphogenetic stages.
The highly prized black truffle (Tuber melanosporum) has become a model species for ectomycorrhizal fungi biology. However, several questions concerning its reproductive phase remain unanswered. To provide new hypotheses on the fruitbody formation process, we have explored the causal links among development characters of black truffle fruitbodies that are primarily linked to either the mating process, fruitbody growing stage, or maturation. Path analysis was applied to test causal models outlining the relationships among fruitbody development characters such as fruiting depth, weight, shape, and spore maturity. These characters were investigated over a two-season survey and three soil typologies (plus peat-based substrate) under irrigated conditions. We found a clear and generalized relationship between fruitbody weight and shape. Among clusters of fruitbodies we found a positive relationship between the weight of the largest fruitbody and the weight of the remaining fruitbodies. However, no generalized relationships among characters linked to different development stages appeared. Our results were noticeably consistent across soil typologies, both for fruitbodies growing singly and in clusters, indicating that early-developing fruitbody characters did not influence characters linked to subsequent morphogenetic stages. The lack of links among stages opens new perspectives for pre-harvest quality management with stage-specific cultivation practices.
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