St. Louis, Missouri
March 14, 2007
With corn being planted in some
areas of the South already, the
National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is cooperating with
public and private researchers looking at reducing aflatoxin in
corn. Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring toxin produced by
various fungi, which is produced by two types of mold:
Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. Aflatoxin is
most prevalent in corn, cotton, peanuts and tree nuts.
The SERAT (Southeast Regional Aflatoxin Test) Program is a
multi-organization, multi-state evaluation of the most promising
germplasm from several research groups. Each group provides seed
for a few hybrids and a testing location. The program allows
state university staffs to compare and contrast their
independent studies, said NCGA Mycotoxin Task Force Chairman
Scott Averhoff.
“This will be the third year for SERAT,” Averhoff explained.
“The program has provided standardized protocol across the
region, but funding is limited. We need to test more hybrids and
test at more sites.”
Aflatoxin levels in corn are strictly limited for both domestic
and export uses. Ethanol distillers also reject corn
contaminated with the mold, since aflatoxin may become
concentrated in Distillers Dried Grains used for livestock feed.
While no variety of corn offers natural resistance to aflatoxin,
some genetic strains do show lower levels of contamination. But
Averhoff says the most promising research areas are in adopting
a product originally developed for peanuts, and in inoculating
corn with a strain of the aflatoxin mold that does not produce
harmful toxins. |
|
