FAQs related to Winter Truffle

How can I tell if I have Tuber brumale in my truffière?

Without testing your tree roots, it is difficult to determine whether you will have T. brumale in your truffière. It should be noted that negative test results do not guarantee that a truffière is free of T. brumale. To be absolutely sure, every tree would have to be tested.

Is Tuber brumale a risk for human health, the environment or for native plants?

It is not a risk to human health. T. brumale truffles are edible and traded in France and other European countries. This truffle species, like other truffle species, exists in non-harmful, symbiotic relationship with hazels and oaks. It is not considered a threat to New Zealand's native fauna and flora but can compete with the Périgord black truffle for space on the roots of host plants.

How long has Tuber brumale been here?

We don't know. Oaks and hazels have, since European settlement, been brought in from Europe and the tools to detect the presence of T. brumale on tree roots have only become sophisticated in recent years. It is possible that T. brumale arrived long ago, but we know for certain that it is present in trees planted in the mid 1990s, and potentially other trees as well.

What is being done about Tuber brumale?

T. brumale was not known to occur in New Zealand and MAF BNZ initiated a response to determine; how it got here, how long it has been here, its distribution and potential impacts. As a precautionary action a number of trees linked to the Winter Truffle were destroyed while investigations were conducted.

To determine whether T. brumale was already present in the New Zealand environment a sample of trees from three North Island truffières were tested for T. brumale. A small number of these trees tested positive for T. brumale. The results were confirmed by DNA testing. MAF BNZ has not destroyed further trees due to the confirmed presence of T. brumale in New Zealand.

Given the number of truffières established in recent years that may contain T. brumale, and the technical unfeasibility of eradicating T. brumale over large areas, MAF BNZ will not be attempting eradication of this truffle or imposing movement controls on truffle growers. This decision is supported by the New Zealand Truffle Association (NZTA).

How did Tuber brumale get here?

MAF Biosecurity New Zealand (MAF BNZ) does not know for sure how T. brumale arrived in New Zealand. However, the possibility that it arrived in New Zealand as a low level contaminant on imported truffles cannot be ruled out. Modern DNA tests are becoming capable of determining the presence of very small quantities of such contaminants.

While MAF BNZ investigations have revealed that it has been present since at least 1995, MAF BNZ cannot discount the possibility that T. brumale was present before this date.

What is Tuber brumale (Winter Truffle)?

It is an edible truffle which is associated with oak and hazel trees. It occurs naturally in France and Italy and in other parts of Europe.

How do I manage Tuber brumale?

If you don't have T. brumale: You should source seedlings that have been tested and certified as being free from T. brumale.

If you do have T. brumale: Many truffle growers are familiar with mycorrhizal species such as Scleroderma sp. and Tuber maculatum which compete with more valuable truffle species. The skills needed to manage T. brumale are similar and T. brumale has the advantage of being a marketable edible species.

How can I find out if I have Tuber brumale?

It is possible for a skilled mycologist to identify T. Brumale mycorrhizae on root samples using a microscope, and DNA testing can be used to confirm its presence. The NZTA is investigating options to help growers establish if they have T. brumale in their truffières.