Molecular markers as a tool to characterize and promote the Italian truffle production [Tuber spp.]

Tuber spp. are ascomycetes that grow in ectomycorrhizal symbioses with some tree and shrub species and produce ascomata, known as truffles. Some truffles are edible and marketed world-wide. Tuber magnatum produces white truffles and is the most prestigious Tuber spp., harvested in Italy and in some Balkan areas only. In the present study we aimed at assessing the within- and among-populations genetic variability in T. magnatum by means of Tuber specific microsatellite markers and an extensive sampling across the species distributional range. We show, for the first time, that some white truffle populations are genetically traceable and that an extensive gene flow occurs within populations. Thus new perspectives are now open concerning the studies aimed at shedding light on Tuber spp. reproductive systems; our results suggest that molecular markers could be successfully used to characterize and trace white truffles according to their geographic provenance. The consequences of our findings for the ecology, cultivation and marketing of these mushrooms are discussed