Location: Mycotoxin Prevention and Applied Microbiology Research
Project Number: 5010-11420-001-011-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2026
End Date: Aug 31, 2027
Objective:
Objective 1: Identify key risk factors contributing to vomitoxin contamination in
U.S. corn and develop a guide for best-practices to reduce contamination. Objective 2: Assess corn cultivars and management practices to determine their effectiveness in controlling vomitoxin contamination.
Approach:
Objective 1: Identify key risk factors and develop best practices guide
This project will begin with a comprehensive synthesis of existing research, extension publications, and historical U.S. vomitoxin (DON) datasets to establish a clear understanding of the agronomic, environmental, and post harvest factors that contribute to contamination, including hybrid susceptibility, planting date, weather patterns, insect injury, fungicide programs, and harvest timing. Using available field level and regional datasets, we will then quantify relationships between these variables and vomitoxin incidence through statistical modeling, supported by the development of an AI based analytical tool to identify the most influential and consistent risk factors. Insights from this analysis will be translated into a practical, stepwise best practices guide that spans pre plant, in season, harvest, and post harvest decision points, offering clear recommendations and example scenarios for growers. Concurrently, high impact risk factors and associated management practices will be validated through targeted assessments to confirm their effectiveness under real world conditions. Finally, the draft guide will be reviewed with an advisory group of producers and industry partners to ensure clarity, feasibility, and relevance, followed by refinement and preparation of materials suitable for extension bulletins, digital platforms, and training programs.
Objective 2: Assess corn cultivars and management practices for vomitoxin control
This objective will be addressed through a coordinated, multi location, multi year field research program established across representative U.S. corn producing regions. Trials will employ a factorial experimental design that systematically varies corn cultivars with differing levels of Giberella ear rot (GER) and vomitoxin susceptibility alongside key management practices, including planting date, residue management, fungicide programs, insect control, irrigation, and nitrogen regimes. To ensure adequate and consistent disease pressure, controlled inoculation or strategically selected high risk environments will be used where appropriate, accompanied by standardized monitoring of weather conditions, disease progression, ear rot incidence, and grain quality. Grain samples will be collected at harvest and analyzed for vomitoxin concentrations using validated analytical methods such as ELISA or GCMS, in parallel with yield and grain quality assessments. Data will be evaluated using mixed model and regression approaches to quantify the effects of cultivar, management practices, and their interactions on vomitoxin levels and yield, enabling identification of combinations that reliably suppress contamination without compromising productivity. The resulting evidence will be synthesized into decision support outputs, including cultivar performance rankings and integrated management packages for high risk environments, which will be incorporated into the best practices guidance developed under Objective 1.