Technical Abstract: Preharvest aflatoxin contamination of grain grown on the U.S. southeastern Coast Plain is provoked and aggravated by both biotic and abiotic stress factors that influence infection by Asperigillus flavus, Link ex Fr. A. flavus is the primary toxigenic fungus of grain in the region, and the hot and humid weather patterns along with suboptimal summer rainfall favor the development of this organism. An array of arthropod species also contribute to the dispersal of this fungus as they attack and feed on the developing grain. Research on corn grown on the Coastal Plain has the expressed goal of reducing, and perhaps eliminating aflatoxin contamination, using classical crop improvement methods to deploy host plant resistance into “southern adapted” corn germplasm. This research is complimented and enhanced by molecular techniques that have proven invaluable in the identification and development of superior germplasm. It also emphasizes the need to fully understand the biological interactions between fungus, arthropods, crops and the environmental conditions that govern the aflatoxin contamination. Alternative cropping systems that avoid contamination are also integrated into this summary of this research progress.