ARS | Publication request: Use of a Granular Bio-Plastic Formulation (Mater-Bi) for Carrying Spores of a Non-Aflatoxigenic Strain of Aspergillus Flavus

Submitted to: Proceedings of American Chemical Society National Meeting
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: March 5, 2008
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Research conducted at the USDA-ARS (Stoneville, MS) demonstrated that aflatoxin contamination in maize is dramatically reduced by inoculation with the atoxigenic Aspergillus flavus strain K49. To facilitate storage for field applications a series of studies were conducted on the reliability and efficiency of a novel granular formulation of bio-plastic termed Mater-Bi® (Novamont S.p.A., Novara, Italy). Mater-Bi® granules (3 mm diameter) were inoculated with K49 spores [log (10) 7.8 to 8.5 cfu mL-1], dried at 40 °C, and applied to microbiologically active and sterilized soil samples. Incubation of the inoculated samples for 30-days resulted in log (10) 3.71 to 4.01 propagules of A. flavus g-1 soil for microbiologically active and sterilized soil, respectively. In addition to the maintenance of rapidly vegetative growth and colonization of soil samples the formulation was viable after 2 months of storage indicating that Mater-Bi® has excellent potential for bio-control applications of A. flavus K49.