Truffle cultivation in the south of France: technical progress and prospects

Background: It was easier to produce the black truffle Tuber melanosporum at the end of the nineteenth and early twentieth century than nowadays. The reasons for its abundance in this period were open landscapes with an abundant rural population. The 1st World War dramatically influenced the decline of the production of truffles. It was in the early 1970s that truffle cultivation took off. Objective: To review the main methods which have been used historically in the cultivation of black truffle. Results and conclusion: The invention of the mycorrhized plant disseminated since 1973 and the numerous researches and experiments undertaken since then have made possible to maintain a truffle production which goes up considerably. Different models of truffle cultivation have been experimented from the invention of the mycorrhizal plants. Four main factors are involved in the truffle production: 1) a well mycorrhized plant, 2) a calcareous, aerated, draining soil with good biological activity, 3) a temperate climate, and 4) appropriate cultivation techniques. The truffle models are used to compare these technical aspects. The persistence of question marks in truffle cultivation justifies the continuity of the study of the characteristics of the truffle plantations in their cultural dynamics.