Abstract
Aflatoxin contamination has a major economic impact on crop production in the southern United States. Reduction of aflatoxin contamination in harvested crops has been achieved by applying nonaflatoxigenic biocontrol Aspergillus flavus strains that can out-compete wild aflatoxigenic A. flavus, reducing their numbers at the site of application. Currently, the standard method for applying biocontrol A. flavus strains to soil is using a nutrient-supplying carrier (e.g., pearled barley for Afla-Guard). Granules of Bioplastic (partially acetylated corn starch) have been investigated as an alternative nutritive carrier for biocontrol agents. Bioplastic granules have also been used to prepare a sprayable biocontrol formulation that gives effective reduction of aflatoxin contamination in harvested corn kernels with application of much smaller amounts to leaves later in the growing season. The ultimate goal of biocontrol research is to produce biocontrol systems that can be applied to crops only when long-range weather forecasting indicates they will be needed.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 7081-7087 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Journal of agricultural and food chemistry |
| Volume | 65 |
| Issue number | 33 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 23 2017 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We thank Jeremy Kotowicz, Roderick Patterson, and Terry Johnson for their technical assistance. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 American Chemical Society.
Keywords
- Aspergillus flavus
- aflatoxins
- biocontrol
- cottonseed
- maize
- peanuts
- tree nuts