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Submitted to: Mycological International Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings Publication Acceptance Date: 2/1/2002 Publication Date: 4/3/2002 Citation: HORN, B.W. ASPERGILLUS SECTION FLAVI IN THE UNITED STATES: CHARACTERIZATION OF SOIL POPULATIONS FROM AGRICULTURAL FIELDS. MYCOLOGICAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS. 2002. Abstract p. 293-294. Interpretive Summary: not required. Technical Abstract: Species belonging to Aspergillus section Flavi often produce aflatoxins and cyclopiazonic acid, mycotoxins that contaminate preharvest peanuts, corn and cottonseed. Soil populations of A. flavus, A. parasiticus, A. nomius, A. tamarii and A. caelatus were examined over a large geographic area within the United States and in greater detail within a single field. A transect was established from New Mexico to Virginia, and species from section Flavi showed distinct patterns in their geographic distribution. A. flavus (large sclerotial morphotype or L strain) was the most widely distributed species, but A. flavus var. parvisclerotigenus (small sclerotial morphotype or S strain) was primarily confined to eastern Texas and Louisiana where cotton is intensively grown. A. parasiticus was most common along the southern Atlantic coast, particularly in areas where peanuts are cultivated. A. tamarii and A. caelatus occurred at low incidences along most of the transect, and A. nomius was detected only in the Mississippi Delta region (Louisiana and Mississippi). Individual vegetative compatibility groups of A. flavus and A. parasiticus were widely distributed along the transect. In a single peanut field from southwestern Georgia included in the transect, soil populations of A. flavus and A. parasiticus were genetically diverse, as indicated by the large number of vegetative compatibility groups. |
