Dr. Gary Munkvold

The corn harvest is later than it has been any time in recent memory, and the prolonged moist conditions are conducive for molds to develop on grain in the field. Over the past few days we have received numerous reports of ear rots developing in the field and questions concerning mycotoxin production when conditions are cool but wet.Cladosporium ear rotApart from Fusarium, Gibberella and Diplodia ...

BackgroundSoybean (Glycine max [L.] Merrill) is a major world crop and is the second most cultivated crop in the U.S.A. following maize. Soybean production contributes billions of dollars annually to the national economy, providing approximately 21 billion dollars in 2012 (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization website). Limitations on maximum production are largely due to disease pressu ...

1. IntroductionThe maize ethanol industry continues to grow steadily in the United States, keeping in step with federal government directives for the inclusion of renewable fuels in the U.S. fuel supply. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 [1] and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 [2] bolstered mandates for biofuel inclusion and directed that maize-based ethanol should constitute 57 billi ...

Aflatoxins are a group of chemicals produced by certain mold fungi. These fungi, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, can be recognized by olive green or graygreen, respectively, on corn kernels, in the field or in storage (Figure 1). Although aflatoxins are not automatically produced whenever grain becomes moldy, the risk of aflatoxin contamination is greater in damaged, moldy corn tha ...