The Burgundy truffle in Switzerland and Germany is under threat

Published 2022년 10월 6일

Tridge summary

A monitoring program by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL has found that the truffle harvest in Switzerland and southern Germany is declining due to increasingly hot and dry summers. The research, published in the journal Global Change Biology, found that an average summer temperature one degree higher reduces production by nearly a quarter, or up to 70% on some sites. The scientists suggest identifying resistant varieties and carefully assessing the financial and ecological implications. The decrease in fruiting bodies is a problem for the fungus's sexual reproduction and genetic diversity, which is important for adaptation to new environmental conditions. The research also highlights the importance of truffles for forest ecosystems in the face of climate change.

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Original content

The truffle harvest is declining in Switzerland and southern Germany. This is shown by a monitoring program run by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL. The increase in extremely hot and dry summers is the best explanation for this decline. The problem is not only culinary, but also ecological (photo illustration Agri). Since 2011, the WSL has been running a monitoring program for the Burgundy truffle, a common and valued edible fungus in Europe. Volunteers and scientists with truffle dogs harvest the fruiting bodies every three weeks on control plots in Switzerland and southern Germany. They weigh them, measure them, describe them and send a fragment to the WSL for genetic analysis. Tree growth and climate data are also recorded on the site. Using statistical models, ecologist Brian Steidinger from the University of Konstanz and WSL analyzed all this information by combining it with climate data. He thus observed a marked decrease in the ...

Source: Agrihebdo