Truffles, Timber, Food, and Fuel: Sustainable Approaches for Multi-cropping Truffles and Economically Important Plants

Truffles are the fruiting bodies produced by a number of sequestrate fungi, the majority of which are ectomycorrhizal. Most edible truffle species belong to the Pezizales. The greatest successes in cultivating edible ectomycorrhizal fungi have been within the truffle genus Tuber. Traditionally, hazelnut and oak are used as host plants in truffle cultivation, yet there are other economic host taxa that also hold promise as truffle hosts. These include trees being planted for timber and fiber (e.g., Pinus spp., Pseudotsuga spp.), food [Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch, Corylus spp.], and fuel (e.g., Populus spp., Salix spp.). When planted in their native range, various economic truffle species are found associated with these particular host taxa. Truffle harvests provide a shorter-term revenue source while longer-term timber investments mature, and together provide long-term annual income from standing forests. Nonmarket benefits of ecological multi-cropping with truffles include carbon sequestration, soil stabilization, and wildlife habitat.