A review of truffle species in Iran

Truffles are the hypogeous fruiting bodies of Ascomycete fungi. Truffles can be divided into two types; tuber and desert truffles. They are obligate ectomycorrhiza of plants that live entirely underground in symbiosis with roots of members of some trees, mostly oaks, Cistaceae, mainly with Helianthemum species, both annual and perennial, shrubs as Cistus, and members of Cypraceae. The hypogeous ascomycete fungi (truffles) are now distributed among six Pezizalean families including Glaziellaceae, Discinaceae-Morchellaceae, Helvellaceae, Tuberaceae, Pezizaceae, and Pyronemataceae, comprising ۳۸ genera. Tuber is a genus in the Tuberaceae family of fungi and desert truffles in other families. In Iran, due to the economic, ecological, nutritional and medicinal importance of truffles, studies began in ۲۰۱۴ and so far the existence of Tuber aestivum from Tuberaceae, Picoa juniperi and Picoa lefebvrei, Geopora cooperi and Geopora ramila from the family Pyronemataceae and Terfezia claveryi, Terfezia boudieri, Tirmania pinoyi and Tirmania nivea from the family Pezizaceae have been confirmed based on morphological and molecular characteristics. Further scientific research is needed to identify other species, identify symbiotic plants, cultivation and commercialize these valuable products.

Keywords:

Ectomycorrhiza , Endomycorrhiza , Iran , Desert truffles , Symbiosis