Introduced Tuber aestivum spreading spontaneously in Israel

A T. melanosporum plantation was established during 1994-95 in Kibbutz Bar´am in the Upper Galilee, Israel. In 1998, only approximately 70% of the trees maintained the inoculated mycorrhiza. A number of trees died; thus, several tree species were initially introduced. These included both European and local oak species, as well as hazelnuts. In 1999, seedlings were introduced into the plantation to fill the gaps between trees. These included, inadvertently, plants inoculated with T. aestivum. In July 2009, fruiting bodies of T. aestivum were collected from the plantation. In 2010, a manual search was conducted and a total of 2.2 kg of fruiting bodies of T. aestivum (a calculated yield of approximately 6.0 kg/acre) were obtained. No fruiting bodies were collected in 2011. In 2012, truffles were found in the original plantation and in a grove within a research farm approximately 3.5 km away. The latter appeared to be of the same origin as the originally introduced T. aestivum. The environmental conditions in the Upper Galilee, although unsuitable for T. melanosporum, are highly suitable for the more robust T. aestivum, which thrives on local oak species.