Our next courses for English speaking clients
International course on
TRUFFLE GROWING ORCHARD ESTABLISHMENT AND MANAGEMENT HARVESTING AND MARKETING
11th - 16th of January, 2027
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 - Monday the 11th 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: plant age, plant quality
- Bibliography and on-line information sources
DAY 2 - Tuesday the 12th 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
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
Pruning and shade control
- Techniques and aims based on plant age
- Training young plants
- Pruning older plants, factors that may inflfluence decision-making
- Mulches and other techniques to provide summer shading
DAY 3 - Wednesday the 13th of January
Complete day at MicoLab’s facilities (10:00 to 19:00 hours)
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
- The importance of assessing the real need for pest and disease control
- Agents of tree damage
- Trufflffle pests: flflies and the trufflffle beetle (Leiodes cinnamomeus)
- Damage prevention and control
Spanish wells and spore field inputs
- When and how to do spore inputs
- Spanish wells, defifinition, pros and cons and how they operate
- Manual and mechanical options.
Reinoculations: in which situations are they useful? How to do them?
DAY 4 - Thursday the 14th of January
Complete day at MicoLab’s facilities (10:00 to 19:00 hours) plus transfer and overnight accommodation in Teruel
Truffle grading, qualities, trading and corporate image
- The process: from fifield to shipping
- Trufflffle quality standards
- Selling and marketing options
- Trufflffle corporate image: gourmet standards
The economics of establishing and running a truffle orchard, by Ricardo Forcadell Pérez
- Initial investment needs
- Management financial 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
Transfer and overnight accommodation in Teruel (in Palacio de la Marquesa)
DAY 5 - Friday the 15th of January
Field trips: morning intensive orchards (Monreal del Campo, Teruel) evening traditional high yield orchards (Sarrión, 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 César Vaquero
Truffle menu at lunch time in Restaurante Masía La Torre (Mora de Rubielos, Teruel)
Traditional management of high yield truffle plantations with the plantation owner and farmer (aftfternoon, in Sarrión, Teruel)
Truffle search and search dog management in trufflffle plantations, with Alba Herranz
Overnight accommodation in Teruel (in Hotel Palacio de la Marquesa)
DAY 6 - Saturday the 16th 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 Herranz
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 trufflffle cultivation: brûlée decompaction, trencherand driller for Spanish wells by Cirilo Hernández
Truffle menu in Mytruffff’s facilities in their trufflffle farm (Cella, Teruel)
Visit to Mytruffff facilities for truffle marketing and export. Truffle trading, facilities and equipment needed for trufflffle selection and preparation for exportation and quality grading, by Cosme Martínez
Transfer to MicoLab and end of the course
LECTURES, FIELD VISITS AND DEMOS BY
Agricultural Engineer
CEO at MicoLab
Forest Engineer Technical
Manager at Mytruff
Science degree in Pharmacy
Manager at Mytruff
Dog training specialist CEO at Alba Herranz Adiestramiento Canino
Agricultural Engineer CEO at Globaltek, Irrigation and Engineering
PhD in Forest Engineering Researcher at the AgriFood Institute of Aragon (CITA
Truffle farmer
Manager at Todotruficultura.com
Truffle farmer and machinery designer Todotruficultura.com
Truffle Farmer Contractor of machinery for truffle farming services
PRICE AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The price of the course is 3.550 €
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 and Friday night in a four star hotel in Teruel city
In order to book the course, a 1.500 € down payment has to be made. The remaining amount has to be paid maximum by the 1st of November, 2026. 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 2026 a minimum of 3 students haven’t applied for the course, it will be canceled 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 master’s Degree on Education).
A maximum of 12 students are allowed per course.
The lectures from Sunday until Wednesday will take place at MicoLab’s facilities, located in: Avda. Corts Valencianes, 75 bajo izda 46530Puzol (Valencia Province, Spain)
On Monday the 18th 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 (for WhatsApp messages)
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
18th of January, 2027
Truffle species identification Spore inoculum quality assessment
CONTENTS
TRUFFLE SPECIES IDENTIFICATION, SPORE INOCULUM QUALITY ASSESSMENT
Introduction to microscopy in truffle farming
Applications of microscopy in truffle cultivation
Fungal biology and truffle development Mycorrhizae and their relationship with host plants
Sexual reproduction of Tuber melanosporum
Management practices to promote truffle production
Macroscopic identification of truffles
Common misidentifications and similar species:
- Tuber indicum
- Tuber brumale
- Tuber aestivum
- Tuber melanosporum
Other Tuber species of interest
Correct sample collection and labeling
Preparation of samples for microscopic analysis
Microscope use and basic techniques
Microscopic characters for truffle identification
Spore morphology and ornamentation
Spore inoculum quality assessment
Minimum requirements for spore quality
Seasonality of the main Tuber species
Identification resources and bibliography
Online identification keys and reference websites
THE COURSE WILL BE TAUGHT BY
Agricultural Engineer, CEO at MicoLab and former forestry teacher
Biotechnologist, Project manager at MicoLab)
MATERIALS FOR THE STUDENT
The student will be provided with the following materials:
- Fresh samples of truffles for future reference (carefully sealed and labeled)
- Dissection knife, microscopy tweezers and all lab equipment required for truffle 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: Monday, the 18th of January, 2027
Duration: 6,5 hours
From 10:00 till 17:30 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 using the website link.
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:
For more training videos, visit the Videos and tutorials section of this website or our YouTube channel.
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