Tuber aestivum

Scorzone(Tuber aestivum Vittadini)

DIFFUSION:it is picked and produced in various european countries,even if the best areas are Italy,France,Spain and eastern countries.

CULTIVATION AREAS:there are many areas suitable for its cultivation.It is certainly one of the easiest truffles to produce artificially.

COMMERCIAL VALUE:although it has a medium-low market quotation,the high productivity from the truffle orchards gives satisfactory economic results.Since it is very much used in the processing industry,it is highly demande fresh on the market,being the only summer ripening truffle.
PICKING TIME:May-September

Tuber aestivum Vittad. var. meridionale Chevalier et Riousset
Ascocarp Morphology. Ascocarp subglobose or lobed, orifice or cavity absent or present (rare), 1-10 cm in diameter, brown or black, with warts, warts angulated, color of spore-bearing tissue yellow or brown (hazel), veins narrow and numerous. Peridium 200-400 micron (Pegler et al. 1993), outermost layers 50-150 micron (Pegler et al. 1993), yellow-brown or red-brown, anatomical structure pseudoparenchymatic with angular cells, cell tangential dimension 10-15(-20) micron (Pegler et al. 1993), cell radial dimension 10-15(-20) micron (Pegler et al. 1993), innermost layers 150-300 micron, color hyaline, anatomical structure plectenchymatic, external cystidia absent. Sterile veins plectenchimatic.

Asci ans spores Morphology. Asci globose, major axis 60-90(-110) micron (Pegler et al. 1993), minor axis 55-70 micron (Pegler et al. 1993), number of spores per ascus 1-6(-7), irregularly clustered.

Spores ellipsoid or subglobose, major axis 25-36 micrometer lenght (Chevalier and Frochot, 1998), minor axis 18-28 micrometer lenght (Chevalier and Frochot, 1998), color yellow or pale brown or medium brown, reticulation; ornamentation length 1-2-3 micron; number of meshes along the major axis 3-5 (Pegler et al. 1993).

Distribution. Habitat temperate; Putative plant host Quercus, or Corylus, or Ostrya, or Carpinus, or Fagus, or Castanea, or Pinus, or Cedrus.

DNA polymorphism. ITS restriction pattern with EcoRI 400-450 bp; SphI less than 50 bp, or 50-100 bp, or 300-350 bp; HincII 400-450 bp; DNA sequence ID of the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 regions U95175.

Mycorrhizae morphology. Mycorrhizae emanting hyphae absent, or rare; anatomy of emanating hyphae: clamps absent; color of emanating hyphae hyaline; color of very tip whitish, or ochre, yellowish brown; color of older parts ochre, yellowish brown, or brown; cystidia absent, or present; wolly; color ochre; intercalate swelling present; ramification absent; anatomy of the mantle pseudoparenchymatus with angular cells.