Mahesh Galappaththi is a PhD candidate from Murdoch University, Perth. His doctoral thesis is mainly based on Australian Truffle: Truffle cultivation for industry expansion. The project mainly concentrates on two new truffle species to cultivate in Western Australia, the Tuber borchii (White Spring truffle) and Tuber aestivum (Black Summer truffle). Furthermore, the project examines inoculum production and inoculation processes, different hosts and nursery substrates, and the development of a molecular diagnostic protocol to distinguish between different Tuber species and the use of this protocol to follow the inoculation and the establishment of the Tuber species in the nursery and plantations. In addition to all these, applications of microorganisms such as mycorrhizal fungi are an emerging field in the world, with further investigations into unrevealed knowledge on the truffle- mycorrhizal relationship.
Prior to commencing his doctoral studies, Mahesh completed a Bachelor of Science from the Open University of Sri Lanka in 2018 and his M.Sc. in Environmental Science from the Postgraduate Institute of Science (PGIS), University of Peradeniya in 2021.
