Aflatoxin contamination of preharvest corn: role of Aspergillus flavus inoculum and insect damage
1980
Lillehoj, E.B. | Kwolek, W.F. | Horner, E.S. | Widstrom, N.W. | Josephson, L.M. | Franz, A.O. | Catalano, E.A.
12 corn hybrids (Zea mays L.) were planted in Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee on 2 dates during 1978 to examine the interaction between hybrids, field environments, planting date, and A. flavus infection of developing kernels. At harvest, a broad occcurrence of aflatoxin was observed in the samples, with no significant differences among hybrids. Silk channels of treated ears were inoculated with A. flavus spores; kernels from the inoculated ears exhibited significantly higher levels of toxin than did those of the controls. Insect damage of ears was assessed at harvest by visual examination; a trend of increased toxin levels was associated with greater damage. Presence of bright greenish yellow fluorescence in corn samples was closely linked to the occurrence of high levels of aflatoxin (>300 ng/g), but corn samples with no detectable toxin also routinely exhibited fluorescencing particles.
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