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Insect Damage, Aspergillus flavus Ear Mold, and Aflatoxin Contamination in South Georgia Corn Fields in 1977
Author(s) -
McMillian W. W.,
Wilson D. M.,
Widstrom N. W.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq1978.00472425000700040019x
Subject(s) - aspergillus flavus , aflatoxin , preharvest , mold , contamination , biology , insect , mycotoxin , aspergillus , zea mays , agronomy , toxicology , horticulture , veterinary medicine , botany , microbiology and biotechnology , ecology , medicine , postharvest
A survey of preharvest corn ( Zea mays L.) in 31 counties in the Coastal Plain Region of Georgia suggested that ears molded by Aspergillus spp. of the Aspergillus flavus group and ears damaged by insects were widespread in about 810,000 ha (2 mllion acres) of corn grown in the area. Ninety percent of the field‐collected samples contained aflatoxin in excess of 20 µ g/kg. Averagear damage by insects ranged from a low of 1.4 cm to a high of 8.9 cm. Highly significant correlations were found between insect damage and percentage of ears with visible A. flavus ear mold, between insect damage and aflatoxin contamination, and between percentage of ears with visible A. flavus ear mold and aflatoxin contamination.