Distribution and incidence of atoxigenic Aspergillus flavus VCG in tree crop orchards in California: A strategy for identifying potential antagonists, the example of almonds

Picot, Adeline; Doster, M. A.; Islam, Md‐Sajedul; Callicott, Kenneth A.; Ortega‐Beltran, Alejandro; Cotty, Peter J.; Michailides, Themis J.

doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2017.10.023

Cited by 16 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…The US Texas Corn Producers Board is seeking the registration of FourSure [64]. In California, several atoxigenic VCGs have been identified by the University of California-Davis (UC Davis) in collaboration with USDA-ARS and different tree-nut growing organizations, and isolates in those VCGs are valuable resources as constituents of multi-isolate products to treat tree nut crops [15,65,66]. In North Carolina, combinations of atoxigenic strains have been tested in a field of a research station [67].…”

Section: From Single To Multiple Isolatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Present Status and Perspective on the Future Use of Aflatoxin Biocontrol Products

et al. 2020

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Aflatoxin contamination of important food and feed crops occurs frequently in warm tropical and subtropical regions. The contamination is caused mainly by Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. Aflatoxin contamination negatively affects health and trade sectors and causes economic losses to agricultural industries. Many pre- and post-harvest technologies can limit aflatoxin contamination but may not always reduce aflatoxin concentrations below tolerance thresholds. However, the use of atoxigenic (non-toxin producing) isolates of A. flavus to competitively displace aflatoxin producers is a practical strategy that effectively limits aflatoxin contamination in crops from field to plate. Biocontrol products formulated with atoxigenic isolates as active ingredients have been registered for use in the US, several African nations, and one such product is in final stages of registration in Italy. Many other nations are seeking to develop biocontrol products to protect their crops. In this review article we present an overview of the biocontrol technology, explain the basis to select atoxigenic isolates as active ingredients, describe how formulations are developed and tested, and describe how a biocontrol product is used commercially. Future perspectives on formulations of aflatoxin biocontrol products, along with other important topics related to the aflatoxin biocontrol technology are also discussed.

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Section: From Single To Multiple Isolatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Present Status and Perspective on the Future Use of Aflatoxin Biocontrol Products

et al. 2020

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“…Regulations fixing the maximum content of mycotoxins in agricultural products, admitted or suggested, are applied almost worldwide as basic tools for consumer protection [26], and cereals, maize, and small grain, are included regarding several mycotoxins (Table 1). Aflatoxins (AFs), mainly produced by Aspergillus flavus [28], are a matter of concern in maize, as for many other crops, such as nuts (peanuts, pistachio nuts), figs, almond, chili peppers, sorghum, sunflower, cotton, typically in tropical subtropical areas [29][30][31][32][33]. Recently AFs have been for the first time also reported in wild fruit in Zambia [34].…”

Section: Mycotoxigenic Fungi: the Main Risk Affecting Cereal Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The use of atoxigenic strains of A. flavus has been demonstrated to be significantly effective in reducing AF contamination in maize fields [12,94,100,101] and in other crops [31][32][33]102]; a mean AF reduction of around 80%, but also greater than 90%, in treated fields, was reported [12,41,103]. In addition, efficacy is enhanced in conducive conditions for A. flavus and AF production [104]; therefore, in more challenging years, with high AF contamination, the distribution of biocontrol products based on atoxigenic strains contributes significantly to making products compliant with legislation in force [105].…”

Section: Competitive Exclusion Of Aspergillus Flavusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of Competitive Filamentous Fungi as an Alternative Approach for Mycotoxin Risk Reduction in Staple Cereals: State of Art and Future Perspectives

Sarrocco

Mauro

Battilani

2019

Toxins

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Among plant fungal diseases, those affecting cereals represent a huge problem in terms of food security and safety. Cereals, such as maize and wheat, are very often targets of mycotoxigenic fungi. The limited availability of chemical plant protection products and physical methods to control mycotoxigenic fungi and to reduce food and feed mycotoxin contamination fosters alternative approaches, such as the use of beneficial fungi as an active ingredient of biological control products. Competitive interactions, including both exploitation and interference competition, between pathogenic and beneficial fungi, are generally recognized as mechanisms to control plant pathogens populations and to manage plant diseases. In the present review, two examples concerning the use of competitive beneficial filamentous fungi for the management of cereal diseases are discussed. The authors retrace the history of the well-established use of non-aflatoxigenic isolates of Aspergillus flavus to prevent aflatoxin contamination in maize and give an overview of the potential use of competitive beneficial filamentous fungi to manage Fusarium Head Blight on wheat and mitigate fusaria toxin contamination. Although important steps have been made towards the development of microorganisms as active ingredients of plant protection products, a reasoned revision of the registration rules is needed to significantly reduce the chemical based plant protection products in agriculture.

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“…The active ingredient, A. flavus isolate AF36, was initially isolated in Arizona (Cotty 1989) and belongs to VCG YV36 (Ehrlich and Cotty 2004). VCG YV36 is the most frequently encountered atoxigenic VCG in Californian pistachio, almond, and fig orchards (Doster et al 2007(Doster et al , 2014Picot et al 2018). AF36 has been registered now for use in all of these perennial crops (Doster et al 2014;USEPA 2012USEPA , 2017.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fifteen frequent atoxigenic A. flavus VCGs originating from almond, fig, and pistachio orchards in California were previously identified using microsatellite analysis, with the ultimate aim of identifying active ingredients for biocontrol mixtures (Picot et al 2018). The current study sought to extend previous work (Picot et al 2018) by (i) characterizing membership in the 15 genetic VCGs common on almond, fig, and pistachio grown in California and (ii) testing the VCG abilities to reduce aflatoxin content in almond and pistachio kernels during co-infection with aflatoxin-producing A. flavus and A. parasiticus isolates. This additional information on fungal germplasm well adapted to tree crops, with superior ability to reduce aflatoxin content, is a resource for development of biocontrol products to treat almond, fig, and pistachio crops in California.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Atoxigenic Aspergillus flavus Isolates Endemic to Almond, Fig, and Pistachio Orchards in California with Potential to Reduce Aflatoxin Contamination in these Crops

et al. 2019

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In California, aflatoxin contamination of almond, fig, and pistachio has become a serious problem in recent years due to long periods of drought and probably other climatic changes. The atoxigenic biocontrol product Aspergillus flavus AF36 has been registered for use to limit aflatoxin contamination of pistachio since 2012 and for use in almond and fig since 2017. New biocontrol technologies employ multiple atoxigenic genotypes because those provide greater benefits than using a single genotype. Almond, fig, and pistachio industries would benefit from a multi-strain biocontrol technology for use in these three crops. Several A. flavus vegetative compatibility groups (VCGs) associated with almond, fig, and pistachio composed exclusively of atoxigenic isolates, including the VCG to which AF36 belongs to, YV36, were previously characterized in California. Here, we report additional VCGs associated with either two or all three crops. Representative isolates of 12 atoxigenic VCGs significantly (P < 0.001) reduced (>80%) aflatoxin accumulation in almond and pistachio when challenged with highly toxigenic isolates of A. flavus and A. parasiticus under laboratory conditions. Isolates of the evaluated VCGs, including AF36, constitute valuable endemic, well-adapted, and efficient germplasm to design a multi-crop, multi-strain biocontrol strategy for use in tree crops in California. Availability of such a strategy would favor long-term atoxigenic A. flavus communities across the affected areas of California, and this would result in securing domestic and export markets for the nut crop and fig farmer industries and, most importantly, health benefits to consumers.

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Distribution and incidence of atoxigenic Aspergillus flavus VCG in tree crop orchards in California: A strategy for identifying potential antagonists, the example of almonds

Cited by 16 publications

References 40 publications

Present Status and Perspective on the Future Use of Aflatoxin Biocontrol Products

Present Status and Perspective on the Future Use of Aflatoxin Biocontrol Products

Use of Competitive Filamentous Fungi as an Alternative Approach for Mycotoxin Risk Reduction in Staple Cereals: State of Art and Future Perspectives

Atoxigenic Aspergillus flavus Isolates Endemic to Almond, Fig, and Pistachio Orchards in California with Potential to Reduce Aflatoxin Contamination in these Crops

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