Research Details: Gold Lab

Pre-Harvest: Gold

     Mycotoxins are poisons produced by fungi as they infect and grow on plant materials meant for food, particularly grain crops. Most mycotoxins originate from infections in the field. Some fungi may continue to produce mycotoxins in harvested agricultural products if previously infected and held under poor storage conditions. Mycotoxins, upon consumption, cause health and production problems in poultry, other animals, and humans.

     Because corn is a preferred host of a number of mycotoxin producing fungi and is about 60% of poultry feed, we have primarily focused our preharvest efforts on understanding and preventing infection, colonization, and mycotoxin contamination of corn seed. Major corn mycotoxins of concern, include fumonisins, aflatoxins and trichothecenes.                                                    

     The Gold laboratory’s research, in collaboration with Drs. Tim Satterlee (Microbiologist) and Tony Glenn (Research Leader), is focused on understanding the relationships between corn co-colonist fungi and their impact on mycotoxin production by pathogenic fungi. They continue to explore the role of Sarocladium zeae, a fungal corn seed colonist that is inhibitory to Fusarium verticillioides and Aspergillus flavus, the major producers of fumonisins and aflatoxins in corn. They have shown that the S. zeae secreted pyrrocidines are potent inhibitors of fumonisin production, even at levels far below those needed to inhibit F. verticillioides growth. Through mutant analysis, they have also observed that S. zeae clearly produces inhibitory compound(s) in addition to the pyrrocidines and are pursuing identification. Additionally, they have efforts to reduce emission of nitrous oxide, a highly potent greenhouse gas, by agricultural soil fungi. The Gold lab is also heavily involved in mentoring junior scientists, including graduate and undergraduate students.