About Tuber melansoporum

Tuber melanosporum, commonly known as Périgord black truffle, and the Piedmont white truffle dominate today's truffle market. It is named after the Périgord region in France and grows only with the roots of oak trees. The underground fruiting body of Tuber melanosporum is a gastronomic delicacy produced by a symbiont native to chalky soils in southern Europe. The worldwide demand for this truffle has fuelled intense efforts at cultivation. By sequencing and analysing the genome scientists hope to identify processes that condition and trigger fruit body and symbiosis formation, ultimately leading to efficient crop production. Production is almost exclusively European. In 1900, France produced around 1,000 metric tonnes of Tuber melanosporum. Production has considerably diminished in the past century, and is now around 20 metric tonnes per year, with peaks at 46 metric tonnes in the best years. As of December 2009, black truffles were sold for about €1,000 per kilo in a farmer's market and €3,940 per kilo in a retail saler.

Taxonomy ID 656061

Data source Genoscope

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