During their symbiotic phase, white truffles are barely distinguishable
morphologically, and molecular probes are
needed for their identification. Here we report the design of species-specific
primers for two white truffles (Tuber
magnatum and T. borchii) on the basis of their ITS sequence.
Their efficiency has been successfully tested on fruit
bodies of the same species, many related and unrelated fungal species,
as well as mycorrhizal roots in direct, nested
and multiplex PCR experiments. They have allowed us to identify T.
magnatum mycorrhizas for the first time.
