Hi all,
This week we were harvesting truffles in an orchard in north Catalonia and it was funny to see how sometimes, so many truffles can mature together. We know that Tuber melanosporum have several births/blooms along the summer and even in early autumn, but just a few of those “truffetes” arrive to maturity, although most of them are eaten by insect larvae or get rotten. But not in this case were a dozen truffles arrived maturity together!
The new soil scanners allow us to “see” when and how these “truffetes” develope, and it was surprinsing to know that truffles are not just formed in late spring, but even in october some truffles get born and can reach maturity in perfect conditions in a few months. That’s why even in really dry summers still some truffles can be found in the winter, because they probably were born in early autumn…
These truffle nests are more often seen in holes where especial substrate for truffle farming have been used, mixed with truffle spores that improve soil estructure and help mating types to meet.
In the next post I’ll explain some results and feelings abouts these especial substrates so used in spanish truffle orchards.
All the best,
Marcos S. Morcillo
trufflefarming 
Do you mean dogs when you say ‘soil sniffers’?
Do you mean when I say soil scanners?
It’s a kind of ultrasound for pregnants, but for soil, named GPR or ground penetrating radar, able to scan the soil at one meter deep, set up to distriminate truffles, roots, animals and stones…
All the best
Marcos
I have only recently found your blog – have you done an article on GPRS before?
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Have you noticed this yourself using the GPR scanner?
Are you still using this scanner and is it simple to use?
Thanks
not, it was published by an italian team
https://trufflefarming.wordpress.com/2014/02/10/ground-penetrating-radars-for-truffles/