A truffle grower from central Spain was worried as several of his young trees showed poor growth and some started to die after just 4 years on the field.
We removed some of these trees from the ground and analyzed them at our lab. These trees were produced using the Melfert bag old technique still used in Spain by several truffle tree nurseries. This technique do not fit with the EU quality standards and normally twists the root system after inoculation as you wrap the Melfert bag. Later on these trees are not grown into selfprunning and antispirallizing tree containers, so these roots as trees become older strangle themselves.
No comment moreover about the poor level of mycorrhization of these trees.
Merry Christmas!
Marcos S. Morcillo
trufflefarming 