Biological Control of Aflatoxin in Maize Grown in Serbia
Zagorka Savić,
Tatjana Dudaš,
Marta Loc,
Mila Grahovac,
Dragana Budakov,
Igor Jajić,
Saša Krstović,
Tijana Barošević,
Rudolf Krska,
Michael Sulyok,
Vera Stojšin,
Mladen Petreš,
Aleksandra Stankov,
Jelena Vukotić,
Ferenc Bagi
Affiliations
Zagorka Savić
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Tatjana Dudaš
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Marta Loc
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Mila Grahovac
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Dragana Budakov
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Igor Jajić
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Saša Krstović
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Tijana Barošević
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Rudolf Krska
Institute of Bioanalytics and Agro-Metabolomics, Department IFA-Tulin, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), A-3430 Tulln, Austria
Michael Sulyok
Institute of Bioanalytics and Agro-Metabolomics, Department IFA-Tulin, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), A-3430 Tulln, Austria
Vera Stojšin
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Mladen Petreš
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Aleksandra Stankov
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Jelena Vukotić
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Ferenc Bagi
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Aspergillus flavus is the main producer of aflatoxin B1, one of the most toxic contaminants of food and feed. With global warming, climate conditions have become favourable for aflatoxin contamination of agricultural products in several European countries, including Serbia. The infection of maize with A. flavus, and aflatoxin synthesis can be controlled and reduced by application of a biocontrol product based on non-toxigenic strains of A. flavus. Biological control relies on competition between atoxigenic and toxigenic strains. This is the most commonly used biological control mechanism of aflatoxin contamination in maize in countries where aflatoxins pose a significant threat. Mytoolbox Af01, a native atoxigenic A. flavus strain, was obtained from maize grown in Serbia and used to produce a biocontrol product that was applied in irrigated and non-irrigated Serbian fields during 2016 and 2017. The application of this biocontrol product reduced aflatoxin levels in maize kernels (51−83%). The biocontrol treatment had a highly significant effect of reducing total aflatoxin contamination by 73%. This study showed that aflatoxin contamination control in Serbian maize can be achieved through biological control methods using atoxigenic A. flavus strains.
