Departamento de Biología Vegetal (Botánica), Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain.
Thader Biotechnology SL, Ed. CAID, Campus de Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain.
Mycorrhiza. 2020 Jul;30(4):503-512. doi: 10.1007/s00572-020-00966-8. Epub 2020 Jun 12.
The cultivation of desert truffle Terfezia claveryi using Helianthemum almeriense as a host plant has recently become a solid alternative crop in the Mediterranean region due to its adaptation to arid and semiarid ecosystems, which are expected to increase during the following years because of climate change. However, management models are still being developed in order to improve and stabilize the production, which varies greatly from one year to another. According to gatherers and farmers, one of the key factors for desert truffle production is the plant phenology in spring, which, in turn, depends on environmental conditions. In this manuscript, we have characterized the physiological, morphological, and molecular responses of the mycorrhizal plants in spring, coinciding with the fructification period of the plant and fungal species. Thanks to this characterization, a sigmoidal relationship between stomatal conductance and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) was found, which can be used as a marker of plant phenological switch. In order to confirm that this phenology status is related to desert truffle fructification, this marker has been successfully correlated to total truffle production. The results of this manuscript suppose a big step forward that will help to develop management models for the desert truffle crop.
由于其对干旱和半干旱生态系统的适应性，使用半日花作为宿主植物来栽培沙漠块菌 Terfezia claveryi 最近已成为地中海地区一种可靠的替代作物，预计未来几年由于气候变化，这些生态系统的面积将会增加。然而，为了提高和稳定产量，仍在开发管理模式，因为产量每年差异很大。根据采集者和种植者的说法，沙漠块菌生产的一个关键因素是春季的植物物候，而这又取决于环境条件。在本文中，我们对春季共生植物的生理、形态和分子反应进行了特征描述，这与植物和真菌物种的结实期相吻合。通过这种特征描述，发现了气孔导度和蒸气压亏缺（VPD）之间的 S 型关系，它可以作为植物物候转换的标志。为了确认这种物候状态与沙漠块菌结实有关，已经成功地将该标记与总块菌产量相关联。本文的研究结果向前迈进了一大步，有助于开发沙漠块菌作物的管理模式。
