Validation and Ecological Niche Investigation of a New Fungal Intraspecific Competitor as a Biocontrol Agent for the Sustainable Containment of Aflatoxins on Maize Fields
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Aspergillus flavus Strains, Media, and Culture Conditions
2.2. In Vitro Effect of Chemical (Coragen®) and Organic (Turex®) Formulations on A. flavus
2.2.1. Effect on Germination and Early Mycelium Development
2.2.2. Effect on FB Radial Growth
2.2.3. Effect on Kernels Infection In Vitro
2.3. Study Sites, Experimental Design, and Field Management
2.3.1. Study Site #1: Maize Variety and Aflatoxin Control Strategies Application
2.3.2. Study Site #2: Maize Variety and Aflatoxin Control Strategies Application
2.3.3. Maize Harvesting and Samples Collection
2.4. Aflatoxin B1 Dosage in Maize Kernels
2.5. Isolation and Characterization of the Resident A. flavus Population
2.5.1. Strains Isolation and Chemotypization
2.5.2. Molecular Characterization of A. flavus Strains
2.5.3. In Vitro Bio-Competition Assay
2.6. Statistical Analyses
3. Results
3.1. Coragen® and Turex® In Vitro Effect on the Fungal Bio-Competitor (FB) Fitness
3.2. In Field Validation of the FB Effectiveness against AF Contamination
3.3. Characterization of the Resident A. flavus Population and Persistence of the FB after the Application
3.4. Comparative Evaluation of the FB Competitive Ability against the Resident A. flavus Population
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Treatment | AFB1 (ppb) | |
---|---|---|
Study site #1 | CNT | 1.20 ± 0.09 |
Coragen® | 0.24 * ± 0.05 | |
Coragen® + FB | <LOD * | |
Study site #2 | CNT | 66.51 ± 16.87 |
Coragen® | 29.25 * ± 15.36 | |
Turex® | 45.70 ± 23.67 | |
FB | 17.86 * ± 10.57 |
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Spadola, G.; Giannelli, G.; Magagnoli, S.; Lanzoni, A.; Albertini, M.; Nicoli, R.; Ferrari, R.; Burgio, G.; Restivo, F.M.; Degola, F. Validation and Ecological Niche Investigation of a New Fungal Intraspecific Competitor as a Biocontrol Agent for the Sustainable Containment of Aflatoxins on Maize Fields. J. Fungi 2022, 8, 425. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8050425
Spadola G, Giannelli G, Magagnoli S, Lanzoni A, Albertini M, Nicoli R, Ferrari R, Burgio G, Restivo FM, Degola F. Validation and Ecological Niche Investigation of a New Fungal Intraspecific Competitor as a Biocontrol Agent for the Sustainable Containment of Aflatoxins on Maize Fields. Journal of Fungi. 2022; 8(5):425. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8050425
Chicago/Turabian StyleSpadola, Giorgio, Gianluigi Giannelli, Serena Magagnoli, Alberto Lanzoni, Marco Albertini, Riccardo Nicoli, Roberto Ferrari, Giovanni Burgio, Francesco M. Restivo, and Francesca Degola. 2022. "Validation and Ecological Niche Investigation of a New Fungal Intraspecific Competitor as a Biocontrol Agent for the Sustainable Containment of Aflatoxins on Maize Fields" Journal of Fungi 8, no. 5: 425. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8050425