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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Biological Control of Pests Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #322618
Title: Efficacy of water dispersible formulations of biocontrol strains of Aspergillus flavus for aflatoxin management in corn

Author
item Weaver, Mark
item Abbas, Hamed
item JIN, XIXUAN - Retired ARS Employee
item Elliott, Robert

Submitted to: Food Additives & Contaminants
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/2/2015
Publication Date: 1/5/2016
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/61787
Citation: Weaver, M.A., Abbas, H.K., Jin, X., Elliott, R.B. 2016. Efficacy of water dispersible formulations of biocontrol strains of Aspergillus flavus for aflatoxin management in corn. Food Additives & Contaminants. 33:346-351.

Interpretive Summary: Two sprayable formulations of the fungus, Aspergillus flavus were evaluated for efficacy in reducing contamination of corn with the toxic fungal metabolite, aflatoxin. The sprayable formula tested in the first year was ineffective and did not significantly reduce aflatoxin in any of the field trials. In the second year and new formulation was used that significantly reduced aflatoxin contamination of corn in three field trials.

Technical Abstract: Field experiments were conducted in 2011 and 2012 to evaluate the efficacy of water dispersible granule (WDG) formulations of biocontrol strains of Aspergillus flavus in controlling aflatoxin contamination of corn. In 2011, when aflatoxin was present at very high levels, no WDG treatment provided significant protection against aflatoxin contamination. The following year a new WDG formulation was tested that resulted in 100% reduction in aflatoxin in one field experiment and = 49% reduction in all WDG treatments with biocontrol strain 21882. Large sampling error, however limited the resolution of various treatment effects. Corn samples were also subjected to microbial analysis to better understand the mechanisms of successful biocontrol. In the samples examined here, the size of the A. flavus population on the grain was associated with the amount of aflatoxin, but the toxigenic status of that population was a poor predictor of aflatoxin concentration.