Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » New Orleans, Louisiana » Southern Regional Research Center » Food and Feed Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #165059
Title: SPATIAL PATTERNS OF ASPERGILLUS FLAVUS STRAIN S IN SOILS OF SOUTH TEXAS

Author
item Jaime Garcia, Ramon
item Cotty, Peter

Submitted to: American Phytopathological Society Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/30/2004
Publication Date: 8/1/2004
Citation: Jaime Garcia, R., Cotty, P.J. 2004. Spatial patterns of Aspergillus flavus strain S in soils of South Texas. Proceedings of American Phytopathological Society Annual Meeting. S45:94.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Aspergillus flavus, the causal agent of aflatoxin contamination of cottonseed, is a natural inhabitant of soils. A. flavus can be divided into two strains, S and L, with the S strain isolates producing greater quantities of aflatoxins than L strain isolates. Aflatoxin contamination of cottonseed can be severe in South Texas. The structure of A. flavus communities residing in soils of South Texas was determined by analyzing 326 soil samples from 152 fields located from the Rio Grande Valley in the South to Wharton county in the North, from 2001 through 2003. Analysis of variance indicate statistical significance among regions, as well as among areas and fields. Both the Coastal Bend (30.7 percent) and the Upper Coast (25.5 percent) regions had significantly higher percentage of the S strain than the Rio Grande Valley region (4.8 percent). Maps of the S strain distribution in soils of South Texas show that the S strain is more prevalent from the Southeast-Central Coastal Bend to Central Upper Coast areas, averaging over 30 percent of S strain. The West part of the Rio Grande Valley shows the lowest S strain percentage, averaging under 10 percent.