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ATC for growers

ATC truffle tree production, backed by science

Many nurseries sell truffle-inoculated trees—but quality varies widely. Because our success depends entirely on yours, we control every step from inoculum sourcing to nursery QA. Using rigorous science and technology, we produce trees with high, verified mycorrhization and a proven track record of truffle production, while minimizing risk from common diseases.

How truffle tree production works

The Périgord black truffle (Tuber melanosporum) produces truffles only after it forms a mycorrhizal symbiosis (a fungus-to-root partnership) with a compatible host tree. While T. melanosporum can associate with several tree species, host choice directly affects yield potential, orchard longevity, and disease risk. But selecting the best host tree is only the first step. How seedlings are inoculated with T. melanosporum and the conditions under which colonization occurs strongly influence mycorrhiza quality—ultimately determining whether a truffle orchard produces truffles at all, and how much truffle it produces.

In short: successful truffle production depends on the right host tree and high-quality, highly-concentrated and well-established truffle mycorrhiza on the roots.

Truffle Trees

Which tree species host Tuber melanosporum?

Common Name Scientific Name Scientific Evidence
European hornbeam Carpinus betulus https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1462-2920.12741
Common hazel Corylus avellana https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0064626
Asian hazel Corylus heterophylla https://www.actahort.org/books/351/351_31.htm
European hop-hornbeam Ostrya carpinifolia https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S175450481300130X
Aleppo pine Pinus halepensis https://fs.revistas.csic.es/index.php/fs/article/view/835
Austrian pine Pinus nigra https://iforest.sisef.org/contents/?id=ifor1334-007
Sawtooth oak Quercus acutissima https://www.kjmycology.or.kr/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/KJM-5004-03.pdf
Oriental white oak Quercus aliena https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9096950/
Boissier's oak Quercus boissieri https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0953756208603536
Turkey oak Quercus cerris https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23318650/
Kermes oak Quercus coccifera https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0953756208603536
Fabre's oak Quercus fabrei https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31760479/
Portuguese oak Quercus faginea https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378112706003641
Texas live oak (Escarpment) Quercus fusiformis https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42977-023-00189-w
Oregon white oak Quercus garryana https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42977-023-00189-w
Holm oak Quercus ilex https://iforest.sisef.org/abstract/?id=ifor2096-009
Iberian holm oak (ballota) Quercus ilex subsp. ballota https://fs.revistas.csic.es/index.php/fs/article/view/3559
Mount Tabor oak Quercus ithaburensis https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0953756208603536
Lebanon oak Quercus libani https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0953756208603536
Long-spike oak Quercus longispica https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31760479/
Mongolian oak Quercus mongolica https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31760479/
Sessile oak Quercus petraea https://agris.fao.org/search/en/providers/122535/records/65de40f56eef00c2cea01005
Mexican white oak Quercus polymorpha https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42977-023-00189-w
Downy oak Quercus pubescens https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10176669/
Pyrenean oak Quercus pyrenaica https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X21010086
Pedunculate oak (English oak) Quercus robur https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23318650/
Chinese deciduous oak Quercus senescens https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23318650/
Chinese cork oak Quercus variabilis https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31760479/
Small-leaved linden (basswood) Tilia cordata https://www.jstor.org/stable/3761397
Large-leaved linden Tilia platyphyllos https://www.sydowia.at/syd59-1/T5-Garcia.htm

Why tree species selection matters

A tree can host the fungus without being an ideal producer. Because your outcomes drive ours, we inoculate only the top species with the most scientifically documented yield performance for T. melanosporum.

The Trouble with Hazelnut Trees

Hazelnuts (Corylus avellana) are often used as hosts, but they’re highly susceptible to Eastern Filbert Blight (EFB) caused by the fungus Anisogramma anomala. There is no known cure; even with pruning and fungicides, most affected trees die. Some nurseries offer “blight-resistant” cultivars (e.g., Yamhill, McDonald, Wepster, Jefferson). A 2009 publication described Yamhill as “completely resistant,” but resistance isn’t immunity—and new, aggressive EFB strains were reported infecting resistant varieties in 2023.

Think of “resistant” hazelnuts like the first COVID vaccines: they provided strong protection against the original strain, but as the virus mutated, that protection was bypassed. In the same way, EFB can evolve to overcome genetic resistance in hazelnut cultivars—turning “resistant” into vulnerable over time. 

Because resistance can be overcome, ATC has long avoided the common hazelnut (Corylus avellana) as a host. The result: our growers have never been affected by EFB, and never will—a direct outcome of ATC’s science-first risk management and aligned incentives. 

Hazelnut_tree

Why ATC truffle trees are different

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Verified Mycorrhization

High, documented colonization rates on every tree shipped. Benefit: Higher truffle yield, because more of the tree roots are colonized, producing more truffles per tree.
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Best-in-class Host Selection

ATC only inoculates and ships tree species with the highest documented yield track record for your climate. Benefit: Higher truffle yield.
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Disease-Risk Avoidance

ATC does not use Corylus avellana → no EFB exposure path. Benefit: Your truffle trees will not be decimated by EFB, as many non-ATC truffle orchards have.
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Combination Controls

DNA-verified inoculum; strict QA. Benefit: You will produce the Périgord truffle, not some other contaminating species that end up taking over your orchard.

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Aligned Incentives

We get paid only when your orchard produces. Benefit: This shared common interest guarantees the truffle trees you plant are of the highest quality that science can deliver.

Street level granularity

Street-Level Microclimate Data

Detailed and localized suitability, down to nearly individual street level. Benefit: You can assess the microclimate for specific locations with accurate and granular data.

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Integrates 50-Year Climate Change Data

Climate change can turn suitable climate areas hostile for truffles. This map ensures this doesn't happen to you. Benefit: Your chosen location will enjoy optimal climate for truffles for at least the next 50 years.
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Search Any Address

Instant feasibility verification for any parcel, with no guessing or approximation. Benefit: You will see the exact suitability criterion for the address you're looking for, with high confidence in the data.

Gradations

Clear Risk Levels

Visual gradations to compare sites at a glance. Even within climatically suitable regions, this map shows differences in suitability. Benefit: Clearly understand the trade-offs and different risk levels between parcels.
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What it shows

  • Viability Zones: Areas with temperature and seasonality aligned to truffle production.
  • Risk Levels: Graduated suitability to weigh trade-offs within “good” zones.
  • Microclimate Signals: Slope, aspect, and elevation modeled at local resolution.
  • Time Horizons: Historical baselines plus forward-looking projections out 50 years to ensure suitability under even the worst climate change scenario.
Land for sale

How you can use it

  • Zone Targeting: Focus your land search on the most promising regions. 
  • Site Selection: Shortlist properties with climate fit—before soil tests. 
  • Irrigation Planning: Anticipate seasonal water demand and heat-event mitigation. 
Map Differentiators

Why it's different

  • Truffle-Specific Parameters — Purpose-built for truffles, not generic hardiness zones. 
  • One-of-a-Kind Interactivity — No other truffle climate tool like it. 
  • Science-Integrated — Feeds directly into our species, irrigation, and management protocols.
  • Climate Change Included — No other truffle climate tool considers climate change effects.

We have the unique truffle science & technology that can help you succeed.

We invite you to speak to us to find out more.

Contact us for a consultation and to learn more

  • Growers