Articles by Taxonomic Group

Fourteen species of hypogeous fungi have been collected and studied in the province of Castellón in Spain. Significant diagnostic characters are given for some of them. Several species that belong to the Basidiomycota are of special interest: Alpova microsporus, Hymenogastser bulliardii, H. hessei, H. luteus, H. lycoperdineus, H. muticus, H. niveus and Protoglossum aromaticum (= Hymenogaster remyi).

The distribution and ecology of forty hypogeous fungi from Sicily (southern Italy) is here pointed out. Hysterangium stoloniferum, Protoglossum aromaticum, Sclerogaster compactus and Tuber maculatum are reported as new records from Sicily. Gymnomyces xanthosporus and Melanogaster umbrinigleba are also new for Italy.

Current knowledge of fungal diversity in Sicily is reported based on historical data and recently field records. A preliminary list of rare and infrequent fungal species is also provided.

In some European countries, highly prized truffles of the genus Tuber generate more economic benefits than any other woodland product. In this preliminary study of the ecology and truffle producing capacity of Tuber melanosporum in the central region of the Iberian Peninsula, we examined 433 sites producing this truffle in 8 types of high forest habitats associated with Quercus faginea, Q. ilex subsp. ballota, Corylus avellana, Cistus laurifolius, and Tilia platyphyllos. The production of this truffle in these natural, un-managed stands was confirmed in interviews conducted with 14 truffle-gatherers from the Alto Tajo Basin.

The presence of truffles in Sicily and perspectives for their cultivation on the island are assessed, with a brief analysis of basic and applied research on truffles and truffle cultivation in Italy, focusing on successful production and on reasons for failure in some artificial truffle-beds. Truffle cultivation has progressed in recent decades and there is now sufficient know-how for creation of productive truffle plantations. Further research is needed on host plant growing techniques.

Results from all studies on soils where the main edible truffles occur naturally are assessed. For Tuber melanosporum soils, the main physical and chemical characteristics have been established in the field and in the laboratory. They are always well-aired and have an optimal particle aggregation, good water-drainage, the constant presence of a limestone skeleton, parent material composed of limestone detritus or intensely fractured limestone rocks. Their pHH₂O, pHKCl, organic carbon, and EDTA extractable Mn are fundamental parameters to define the suitability of a soil for this species. For T. magnatum, research to date has not been able to determine the main pedological parameters, but has managed to characterize parent material and geomorphological dynamics which lead to the formation of soils suitable for this truffle. Those soils are well-drained and show a great number of pores, with a bulk density always around 1 and constant humidity. For T. aestivum, research has been inconclusive because results have been so variable. That variability can be correlated with a strong genetic variability in this species which, in its several forms, has adapted itself to many soil environments. Not much is known about soil characteristics for T. brumale, except that it prefers soils much more humid than those of other truffles; water stagnation is frequent and EDTA extractable Mn is always much higher. Nearly nothing is known about T. borchii.

A project investigating natural truffle-beds in Sicily is presented here, with preliminary data on recorded species and ecological features.