Facebook Instagram X-twitter Youtube
Facebook Instagram X-twitter Youtube

Our next courses for English speaking clients

International course on

TRUFFLE GROWING ORCHARD ESTABLISHMENT AND MANAGEMENT HARVESTING AND MARKETING

18th - 23th of January, 2026

MASTERCLASSES AND FIELD VISITS WITH LEADING EXPERTS AND INNOVATORS

Basic concepts, planting, pruning, tilling and irrigation, Spanish wells, dog training, pests and diseases, financial needs and yield, product trading, truffle selection (marketing qualities), field trips.

Inscribirse al curso

Complete day at MicoLab’s facilities (10:00 to 19:00 hours)

Basic concepts

  • What is truffle farming?
  • Fungal biology: fungi, truffles, mycelium and mycorrhizae, the brĂ»lĂ©
  • Trufflffle species used in trufflffle farming around the world
  • Host species used in trufflffle farming (trees and bushes)
  • Black truffle, Tuber melanosporum, ecology, helper bacteria
  • Productive and life cycle, of Tuber melanosporum, sexuality
  • Why do truffle plantations stop producing?

Previous assessment on plantation viability

  • Climate: temperatures, rainfall and their annual distribution
  • Soil: basic parameters
  • Water availability and basic needs for irrigation
  • Previous crop and forest contamination
  • Plant selection: tree species, plant age, plant quality
  • Bibliography and on-line information sources

Complete day at MicoLab’s facilities (10:00 to 19:00 hours)

Plantation establishment

  • Previous steps: correction of soil parameters and fungal contamination
  • Soil preparation
  • Establishment: planting season, pattttern (spacing), planting, protector

Conclusions: basic failure points in truffle plantations

Annual calendar for plantation tasks

Weed control and tillage

  • Objectives
  • Tasks depending on plant age and type of soil, machinery and tools
  • Working the soil of the brĂ»lĂ©: why, when and how

Complete day at MicoLab’s facilities (10:00 to 19:00 hours)

Pruning and shade control

  • Techniques and aims based on plant age
  • Pruning young plants
  • Pruning older plants, factors that may inflfluence decision-making
  • Climatic factors that condition pruning options
  • Mulches and other techniques to provide summer shading

Irrigation

  • Objectives and aim in each plantation phase
  • Moments, frequency and basic tips depending on targeted needs
  • Irrigation emitttters, pros and cons. Emitttter selection
  • Irrigation system design and other important devices for irrigation

Pests, diseases and other damage factors, by María Martín Santafé

  • Do trufflffle plantations really have big phytopathological enemies?
  • The importance of assessing the real need for pest and disease control
  • Agents of tree damage
  • Truffle pests: flies and the truffle beetle (Leiodes cinnamomeus)
  • Damage prevention and control

Complete day at MicoLab’s facilities (10:00 to 19:00 hours)

Spanish wells and spore field inputs

  • Defifinition, pros and cons and how they operate
  • When and how to do spore inputs with substrate
  • Manual and mechanical options
  • Techniques used to add the spores and how to prepare the inoculum
  • Reinoculations: in which situations are they useful? How to do them?

The economics of establishing and running a truffle orchard, by Ricardo Forcadell PĂ©rez

  • Initial investment needs
  • Management fifinancial needs in each phase
  • Cost and benefifit analysis
  • Financial yield

Truffle dog training, by Alba Herranz

  • Characteristics of the canine sense of smell, olfactory memory
  • Selecting a future trufflffle dog
  • Defifinition and stages for the trufflffle dog training
  • What it is and how to achieve motivation in working dogs
  • Smell association: direct and by reward
  • Animal welfare

Final conclusions and group discussion

Field trips: morning in truffle plantations (Cella, Teruel) evening in trader facilities (Teruel city)

Truffle search with dogs and dog management in trufflffle orchards, with Alba Herranzz

Orchard monitoring to improve management and yield: control of soil, climate and plant parameters, orchard mapping and app design for production data input, by Ricardo Forcadell

Demos on machinery adapted to truffle cultivation: deep tilling (subsoiling), trencher and driller for Spanish wells by Cirilo Hernández

Truffle menu at lunch time in Restaurante El Ă“valo (in Teruel city)

Visit to Mytruff facilities for truffle marketing and export . Truffle trading, facilities and equipment needed for truffle preparation for exportation and quality grading and selection, by Cosme MartĂ­nez

Field trips: morning in intensive plantations (Monreal del Campo, Teruel) evening in traditional high yield plantations (SarriĂłn, Teruel)

Implantation and intensive management of highly technified truffle orchards: demos on machinery and techniques for tilling, weed control and Spanish wells, explanation of the irrigation design, with Ricardo Forcadell and CĂ©sar Vaquero

Trufffle menu at lunch time in Restaurante MasĂ­a La Torre (Mora de Rubielos, Teruel)

Traditional management of high yield truffle plantations with the plantation owner and farmer (aftfternoon, in SarriĂłn, Teruel

Truffle search and search dog management in truffle plantations, with Alba Herranz

The schedule and timings for the whole training course may vary slightly as it will be adapted to the group information needs

Luz Cocina Romero

Agricultural Engineer
CEO at MicoLab

Ricardo Forcadell PĂ©rez

Forest Engineer Technical
Manager at Mytruff

Cosme MartĂ­nez

Science degree in Pharmacy
Manager at Mytruff

Alba Herranz

Dog training specialist CEO at Alba Herranz Adiestramiento Canino

CĂ©sar Vaquero

Agricultural Engineer CEO at Globaltek, Irrigation and Engineering

María Martín Santafé

PhD in Forest Engineering Researcher at the AgriFood Institute of Aragon (CITA

Chencho Zugasti

Truffle farmer Manager at Todotruficultura.com

Cristobal Burguete

Truffle farmer and machinery designer Todotruficultura.com

Cirilo Hernández Herranz

Truffle Farmer Contractor of machinery for truffle farming services

The price of the course is 3.350 €

The price includes:

  • Bound notes on all the concepts explained during the course
  • Lunch meals, including two truffle menus
  • Snacks and drinks in between lectures at MicoLab’s facilities
  • Round-trip rides for the field trips, from MicoLab’s facilities
  • Individual accommodation for Thursday night in a four star hotel in Teruel city

El precio NO incluye los desplazamientos a las salidas de In order to book the course, a 1.350 € down payment has to be made. The remaining amount has to be paid maximum by the 1st of November, 2025. After this date, if the remaining amount hasn’t been paid, the deposit and the reserved place will be lost.

If by the 10th of November of 2025 a minimum of 5 students haven’t applied for the course, it will be cancelled and the full amount paid will be returned to all students.

All students get an official invoice and a training certificate signed by Luz Cocina Romero (Agricultural Engineer with a marster’s Degree on Education).

A maximum of 18 students are allowed per course.

The lectures on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday will take place at MicoLab’s facilities, located in:
Avda. Corts Valencianes, 75 bajo izda
46530Puzol (Valencia Province, Spain)

On Sunday the 25th of January there will be a technical training on microscopy applied to truffle farming for a maximum of 9 students. If interested, check the courses section of our webpage: www.micolab.com

For more info, please, contact us:

info@micolab.com
+ 34 665 911 457 (phone calls or WhatsApp)

downloadable documents:

Complete course information
Truffle farming and trading course poster

International course on truffle growing, orchard management, harvesting and marketing

This video showcases the type of small-group training we offer at MicoLab.

International training course on

MICROSCOPY APPLIED TO TRUFFLE FARMING

25th of January, 2026

– Truffle species identification, spore inoculum quality assessment and uses
– Quality control of nursery truffle plants
– Identification of mycorrhiza species commonly found in nursery plants

  • The use of microscopy for truffle plantation management
  • Truffle identification, importance and objectives
  • Macroscopic characters of truffles
  • Microscopy sample preparation
  • Microscopic identification of truffles: spores and asci
  • Microscopic assessment of spore inoculum quality
  • Preserving samples
  • Bibliography and web links (including identification keys)

MYCORRHIZA MONITORING IN TRUFFLE PLANTATIONS

  • Root sampling, needed materials and statistical considerations.
  • Available field sampling methods, pros and cons
  • Preparing the root samples for cleanin and extraction
  • Preservation techniques.
  • Extraction of mycorrhizae from soil samples.
  • Cleaning.
  • Microscopic identification of most common mycorrhizae present in European truffle plantations
  • Counting and interpreting the results.
  • Assessment of the most adequate management techniques in view of the mycorrhiza species present.
  • Bibliography and web links (including identification keys)

Luz Cocina Romero

Agricultural Engineer, CEO at MicoLab and former forestry teacher

María Martín Santafé

PhD in Forest Engineering, researcher at the CITA of AragĂłn

  • The student will be provided with the following materials:
    • Permanent slides (mounts) prepared by the student for future reference, in a slide carry box
    • Fresh samples of truffles for future reference (carefully sealed and labeled)
    • Dissection knife, microscopy tweezers and all lab equipment required for truffle and mycorrhiza microscopy
    • Basic set of chemicals used in truffle microscopy (carefully sealed and labeled and in small quantities)
    • Written notes in English, with identification pictures
    • Research papers and other important scientific documents

Date: Sunday, the 25th of January, 2026

Duration: 7,5 hours

From 10:00 till 19:00 hours, including lunch and snack break.

A maximum of nine students are allowed per course and they all work individually with their own set of materials and microscopes.

The trainees will be supported by two teachers who are specialized on Tuber species microscopy in order to offer an individual attention.

The price of the course is 1.150 €

All students get an official invoice.

The course has to be paid in advance by bank transfer.

The price includes the answering of future questions in text via e-mail or WhatsApp about the training contents and for when the student starts identifying on his/her own (first year after the training).

It also includes snacks and lunch at MicoLab´s facilities.

Students will be allowed to take as many pictures as they want during the training.

downloadable documents:

Complete course information
Microscopy course poster