Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Community and Ascoma Production in a Declining Plantation.

is an edible ectomycorrhizal mushroom of considerable economic value. Its cultivation has become popular in recent years, but there are few studies on the factors affecting its productivity. In this work, the ascoma production and the ectomycorrhizal (ECM) community of a plantation, established in an intensive farming area where this truffle is not naturally present, were studied. production drastically declined from 2016 to 2021, and ascomata of other species ( and ) were found from 2017. Molecular characterization of ectomycorrhizae carried out in 2016 identified 21 ECM fungal species, of which (22%) and (19%) were the most abundant. ectomycorrizae (16%) were almost entirely confined to the fruiting points. The diversity and structure of the ECM community on were significantly different from those observed on hardwood trees. The obtained results suggest that (a native of the study site) tends to replace through a mechanism of competitive exclusion. Although cultivation is possible in suboptimal environments, particular care should be taken to limit competition with ECM fungi more suitable for local conditions.