Statistical patterns of carbonates and total organic carbon on soils of Tuber rufum and T. melanosporum (black truffle) brûlés
L. G. García-Montero A D , I. Valverde-Asenjo B , P. Díaz C and C. Pascual AA Department of Forest Engineering, E.T.S.I. Montes, Technical University of Madrid (UPM), Ciudad Universitaria s/n E-28040, Madrid, Spain.
B Department of Soil Science, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Farmacia, Ciudad Universitaria s/n E-28040, Madrid, Spain.
C Department of Industrial Chemistry and Polymers, E.U.I.T. Industrial, Technical University of Madrid (UPM), C/ Ronda de Valencia 3, Madrid 28012, Spain.
D Corresponding author. Email: luisgonzaga.garcia@upm.es
Australian Journal of Soil Research 47(2) 206-212 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR08084
Submitted: 11 April 2008 Accepted: 29 October 2008 Published: 31 March 2009
Abstract
The ascocarps of several truffle species, such as Tuber rufum, are harvested in T. melanosporum brûlés; these species reduce T. melanosporum production. Some authors argue that this competition might be due to the evolution of organic matter in the soil. However, soil conditions in brûlés have yet to be clarified, and most studies on T. melanosporum fail to supply statistical data. We propose a study of 40 soils to compare the values for total organic carbon (TOC), pH, and carbonates inside the brûlés with the values for the outer edges of the same brûlés, where T. rufum ascocarps are collected. A principal component analysis relates the soils from the inner brûlés with high active carbonate content and soils outside the brûlés with high TOC and total carbonate content. ANOVA analyses indicate that the mean concentration of active carbonate, total CO32–, and % active/total carbonate differ significantly depending on soil location, but there are no significant differences for pH and TOC. These results lead us to propose a new hypothesis: T. melanosporum mycelia may solubilise active carbonate (<50 μm) and the other carbonate fractions (>50 μm) inside the brûlés; however the environmental conditions of the brûlés could favour a secondary carbonate precipitation with a net increase in active carbonate. This increase would counterbalance carbonate losses from leaching, which would in turn favour T. melanosporum mycelia, suggesting a feedback process.
Additional keywords: Tuber melanosporum, Tuber rufum, truffle soil, total carbonate, active carbonate, truffle culture.
Acknowledgments
We thank Domingo, Justo, and the other truffle collectors for their teachings and fieldwork; and Kevin, Felisa, Margarita, Luis, Miriam, and Pablo for their support. We thank M. A. Casermeiro, J. Hernando, I. Hernando, as well as J. Manuel, J. Ramón, and the Department of Soil Science of the Complutense University in Madrid. We thank M. Cortijo, A. García-Abril, and S. Alexis for their collaboration; and Prudence Brooke-Turner for her linguistic assistance. The authors especially wish to thank all the people and Council of Peralejos de las Truchas and the Alto Tajo Nature Reserve Institution.
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