Abstract
SummaryAflatoxin contamination of staple crops, commonly occurring in warm areas, negatively impacts human and animal health, and hampers trade and economic development. The fungus Aspergillus flavus is the major aflatoxin producer. However, not all A. flavus genotypes produce aflatoxins. Effective aflatoxin control is achieved using biocontrol products containing spores of atoxigenic A. flavus. In Africa, various biocontrol products under the tradename Aflasafe are available. Private and public sector licensees manufacture Aflasafe using spores freshly produced in laboratories adjacent to their factories. BAMTAARE, the licensee in Senegal, had difficulties to obtain laboratory equipment during its first year of production. To overcome this, a process was developed in Ibadan, Nigeria, for producing high‐quality dry spores. Viability and stability of the dry spores were tested and conformed to set standards. In 2019, BAMTAARE manufactured Aflasafe SN01 using dry spores produced in Ibadan and sent via courier and 19 000 ha of groundnut and maize in Senegal and The Gambia were treated. Biocontrol manufactured with dry spores was as effective as biocontrol manufactured with freshly produced spores. Treated crops contained safe and significantly (P < 0.05) less aflatoxin than untreated crops. The dry spore innovation will make biocontrol manufacturing cost‐efficient in several African countries.
Highlights
In tropical and sub-tropical climates, fungi belonging to Aspergillus section Flavi frequently contaminate several crops with aflatoxins (Klich, 2007; Probst et al, 2014)
Aflatoxin biocontrol products containing atoxigenic A. flavus genotypes as active ingredient fungi were first registered with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) for use in cotton, groundnut, maize, pistachio, almond, and fig grown in the United States (Dorner, 2004; Cotty et al, 2007; Doster et al, 2014; Ortega-Beltran et al, 2019)
There were no differences in viability of the dry spores and the freshly harvested spores, regardless of isolate and storage period
Summary
In tropical and sub-tropical climates, fungi belonging to Aspergillus section Flavi frequently contaminate several crops with aflatoxins (Klich, 2007; Probst et al, 2014). Throughout the world, the most common causal agent of aflatoxin contamination is A. flavus (Klich, 2007). Some atoxigenic genotypes possess superior abilities to outcompete aflatoxin producers and are used as biocontrol agents to reduce crop aflatoxin content (Dorner, 2004; Cotty et al, 2007; Bandyopadhyay et al, 2016). Aflatoxin biocontrol products containing atoxigenic A. flavus genotypes as active ingredient fungi were first registered with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) for use in cotton, groundnut, maize, pistachio, almond, and fig grown in the United States (Dorner, 2004; Cotty et al, 2007; Doster et al, 2014; Ortega-Beltran et al, 2019)
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