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.
DAY 1 - Sunday the 18th of January
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 brûlé
- 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
DAY 2 - Monday the 19th of January
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 brûlé: why, when and how
DAY 3 - Tuesday the 20th of January
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 MarĂa MartĂn SantafĂ©
- 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
DAY 4 - Wednesday the 21th of January
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
DAY 5 - Thursday the 22th of January
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
DAY 6 - Friday the 23th of January
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
LECTURES, FIELD VISITS AND DEMOS BY
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
MarĂa MartĂn SantafĂ©
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
PRICE AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
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:
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
MORNING
- 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.
AFTERNOON
- 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)
THE COURSE WILL BE TAUGHT BY
Luz Cocina Romero
Agricultural Engineer, CEO at MicoLab and former forestry teacher
MarĂa MartĂn SantafĂ©
PhD in Forest Engineering, researcher at the CITA of AragĂłn
MATERIALS FOR THE STUDENT
- 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
COST AND OTHER INFORMATION
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.
