plantation

NEWS

Prof. Paul Thomas (our Managing Director) has appeared on several TV programmes, radio shows and in many written articles. Specific areas of expertise include the biology, cultivation, hunting and cooking methods of the wide range of truffle species. If you would like an interview or require information for an article then please use our contact form and we would be very happy to help.

Below, our most recent news articles are displayed and our back-catalogue is open for browsing.

July 14, 2015

Napa Truffle Festival

The third annual Napa Truffle Festival is rapidly approaching and will again showcase the revered black winter Périgord truffle: Tuber melanosporum, while bringing together a unique gathering of leading truffle cultivation experts and scientists, special guests from the food and wine world, and internationally-renowned Michelin Star chefs to discuss, examine, probe, prepare, demonstrate and, finally, pair truffles with wines to feast upon for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
July 14, 2015

We need truffle hunters urgently

Despite producing truffles on some very young trees this year, there are still many plantations out there that are well managed but are virgin territory for the truffle dogs. Some of these sites are in their 5th year and could well be producing truffles right now, but we need some trained dogs to help us find them.
July 14, 2015

Truffles are the new bling

Rapper Jay-Z recently spent an incredible €15,000 on three kilos of white truffles while on holiday in Italy. Will demand soar further thanks to such a ringing endorsement from the King of Bling himself? The rapper has a reputation for making, and breaking, other luxury brands. As far as we are concerned, anything that brings truffle awareness to the masses can only be a good thing.
July 14, 2015

UK grants and still time to create a plantation this year

Planting a truffle wood in the UK currently qualifies for a huge grant of up to £4,800 per hectare and annual maintenance payments for 15 years. However, grants are being reduced after this coming planting season, so now is the time to get started. If you are interested in creating a truffle plantation please contact us at invest@plantationsystems.com or Tel: 01422 844095. We will send you a free information pack and provide a free soil test to assess the suitability of the potential site.
July 14, 2015

4th International Conference on Tuber aestivum/uncinatum

The 4th international conference on Tuber aestivum syn. uncinatum, was held at the end of September in Budapest, Hungary. The conference includes two full days of lectures from top truffle scientists from around the world, including Dr. Paul Thomas. Paul presented some of our latest research about the importance of the relationship between pH levels and mycorrhiza coverage utilizing far larger data sets than have ever been published. Also on the agenda were meetings to discuss the truffle industry and potential legislation.
June 21, 2015

Recipe for disaster

Every chef has a tale of things gone awry, a kitchen incident they would rather forget. But when asked, most chefs have no hesitation recounting their difficult moments on the job.
June 21, 2015

New Growing Facilities

MSL have moved growing facilities! We have recently moved all our trees to a large glasshouse facility in the North West (UK). The extra space will allow us to grow more stock and conduct more experimental work. We are currently trialling a new inoculation method for the elusive white truffleTuber magnatum, the most valuable of all truffles. It’s early days yet but we will of course keep you updated.
June 21, 2015

Firewood Fair on 2nd September

The Lincolnshire Firewood Fair is an event that was started in 2009, organised by the Forestry Commission and people from within the private sector to encourage people to burn firewood produced sustainably from local woodlands. The fair also aims to provide the public with information about seasoning and types of firewood as well as having a variety of wood burning stoves and other equipment on show.
June 21, 2015

Droughts in Eastern Europe

A severe drought in Eastern Europe has damaged crops and raised concerns over the area’s economy. Eastern Europe is a big producer of wild-harvested summer truffles, and we have noticed a steep decline in harvests this season. There are worries that the prolonged drought could also impact next year’s harvest, which will inevitably push up the prices for the summer truffle. Luckily the summer truffle is very drought tolerant and should recover well, but in the meantime we will be looking at higher than usual prices for the delicacy.
  • Samantha Ellis

    From guidance in orchard establishment, tree supply and management to our own truffle distribution network, we've got all angles covered

    Samantha Ellis
    Business Development
  • Dr Paul Thomas

    Thorough and scientific methodologies, attention to detail and having a committed partner at every step of the way, is the only reliable approach to truffle cultivation

    Dr Paul Thomas
    General Director
  • Daniel Paskin

    With our own genetics lab and research sites in 23 countries, we are truly world-leading in the field

    Daniel Paskin
    Nursery Manager
February 18, 2017

TED.com Ideas Blog – How to grow truffles using DNA technology

Following on from Sebastian Kraves’ TED talk that focused on the miniPCR DNA Discovery System that his team had developed and featuring how this technology was utilised by Dr Paul Thomas in our truffle cultivation processes, TED have featured Dr Thomas’ work in this area in their Ideas blog. The article delves deeper into how technology is enabling Mycorrhizal Systems to remain at the forefront of truffle cultivation technology.  
February 2, 2017

The Effect of Flooding on Summer Truffle (Tuber aestivum syn. uncinatum)

Late last year Dr Paul Thomas attend the 8th International Workshop on Edible Mycorrhizal Mushrooms (IWEMM8) in France and presented his findings from a study into the effect of flooding on the survival of the Summer Truffle (Tuber aestivum syn. uncinatum). The full report is yet to be published but the abstract to the study is available. If you would like to be notified when the full research paper is available then please subscribe to our newsletter by entering your email address on the form on our Home page.
January 18, 2017

Farmers Weekly – Truffles as an Ideal Crop for Farm Diversification

In the Farmers Weekly Christmas special edition Isabel Davies interviewed Dr Thomas and a current plantation owner, who is on track to start commercially harvesting this upcoming season, about the suitability of truffles as a crop for farm diversification. Truffles was one of four crops featured by Farmers Weekly as having great potential for diversification on UK and Irish farms.
December 11, 2016

TED Talks – DNA: the science behind growing truffles

In May, Sebastian Kraves, a molecular neurobiologist, was invited to give a TED Talk about the miniPCR DNA Discovery System that his team had developed. During his talk Sebastian discusses how Dr Paul Thomas has utilised this DNA coding technology to ensure that the truffle spores we work with are the genuine truffle species we require. This scientific approach to truffle cultivation is what makes Mycorrhizal Systems technological leaders in truffle culivation.