Truffle pines

ROBIN nurseries offer you truffle pine plants produced and mycorhized under the control of INRA (National Institute for Agronomic Research). Less famous than the king truffle species such as oak or hazelnut, pine is nevertheless a very interesting host species that gives very good results in terms of mycorrhization. It is thus possible to use Austrian black pine or Aleppo pine to promote the production of Burgundy truffles or black truffles. Two species of pine, natural symbionts of the truffle, are proposed to you :

Austrian black pine (Pinus nigra austriaca) inoculated with Burgundy truffle or black truffle,
♦ Aleppo pine (Pinus Halepensis) mycorrhized with black truffle.

Truffle pine plants ready to plant

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Truffle production from a pine plant

As far as truffle growing is concerned, pine offers several advantages. First of all, it likes poor and calcareous soils. Resistant to high temperatures as well as to winter periods, it adapts well to low altitudes as well as to medium mountains. Fast growing, it has no particular phytosanitary sensitivity.

Ability of the mycorrhizal pine to produce truffles

Due to its great "adaptability" and tolerance (in terms of altitude, soil conditions, drought resistance...), pine appears to be a very good truffle species. Provided with a taproot system that quickly turns into tracer roots, pine is able to cling to difficult soils or eroded areas, while promoting nutrient exchanges with its mycorrhiza fungus. Known for its toughness, the pine is nevertheless a light-demanding species, intolerant of shade, but resistant to wind. Adapted to difficult soil conditions, it tolerates calcareous, very clayey, compact, stony or superficial soils. Its low ecological requirements make the pine one of the most rustic species.

Austrian black pine or Aleppo pine: Which one to choose in truffle growing ?

The choice will depend on the characteristics of your soil and your land. The parameters to be taken into consideration include :
- altitude and climate: Aleppo pine is very sensitive to cold while Austrian black pine tolerates it.
- exposure: both varieties like light, but Aleppo pine is less sensitive to wind than Austrian black pine.
- Soil type: all types of calcareous soils for the black pine, calcareous and clay-limestone soils for the Aleppo pine.
- growth: fast for the Austrian black pine, slower for the Aleppo pine.

Which truffles to grow from a pine plant ?

Thanks to its natural biotope similar to that of tuber uncinatum, pine is naturally preferred for the production of Burgundy truffles. However, thanks to mycorrhization, pine trees are also favourable to black truffles farming (tuber melanosporum) and summer truffles growing (tuber aestivum). Thanks to a controlled mycorhization process developed in our nursery's laboratories, we can offer you high quality truffle pine plants (controlled mycorhization certified by INRA, plants raised in anti-chignon buckets).

Need help ?In addition to truffle pines, Robin Nurseries develops a wide range of truffle plants. If you are undecided about the tree species and the variety of truffles most appropriate for your land, contact our experts. They will be able to advise you and accompany you in your truffle planting project, from the choice of your truffle plants to the harvesting of your first truffles.