Corn Lines Resist Fungal Toxins
|
 |
Category: AgricultureType: News
Source: USDA Agriculture Research Service
Date: Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
Corn germplasm lines developed by U.S.D.A. (USDA) scientists are scoring high marks in field trials for resistance to aflatoxin produced by Aspergilllus flavus and A. parasiticus fungi.
According to geneticist Paul Williams with USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Mississippi State, Miss., the presence of aflatoxin in corn greatly reduces its value and marketability. That's because aflatoxin is carcinogenic to humans, pets and wildlife. Yearly losses incurred by the corn industry to aflatoxin contamination of kernels are estimated at $192 million.
At the ARS Corn Host Plant Resistance Research Unit in Mississippi State, Williams works with a multidisciplinary team of researchers and university cooperators to develop, test and release new corn lines that are genetically resistant to aflatoxin-producing fungi.
In 2008 field trials, for example, 2 germplasm lines that the team developed-Mp715 and Mp717-showed the highest levels yet of resistance to aflatoxin contamination. A more recent line, Mp04:097, also performed well in 2009 trials.
Mp715 and Mp717 are also resistant to the accumulation of another fungal toxin-fumonisin, which is produced by Fusarium verticillioides. The toxin causes neurological abnormalities in horses after they consume infected corn.
According to Williams, the lines have been widely requested and used in plant breeding programs at state, federal and international research institutions, plus 3 major commercial seed companies and several smaller ones.
In related work, the researchers are mapping chromosome regions associated with aflatoxin resistance in crosses between resistant lines and susceptible ones with good agronomic qualities. The goal is to identify markers that can be used in marker-assisted breeding.
On yet another front, the team has developed corn lines that resist fall armyworms and southwestern corn borers, insect pests whose feeding damage can contribute to aflatoxin contamination.
Read more about research to enhance corn in the September 2010 issue of Agricultural Research magazine.
ARS is USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency. This research supports the U.S.D.A. priority of ensuring food safety.
There are currently no comments for this story. Be the first to
add a comment!
Click here to add a comment about this story.
USDA's National Agricultural Library Delivers 2011 Edition of Thesaurus
... agclass.nal.usda.gov/agt.shtml. Category: Agriculture Type: News Source: USDA Agriculture Research Service Date: Friday, January 21st, 2011 User ...
3 Scientists Named to USDA-ARS Science Hall of Fame
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- 3 outstanding U.S.D.A. (USDA) scientists have been named to the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Science Hall of ... Category: Agriculture Type: News Source: USDA Agriculture Research Service Date: Wednesday, September 15th, 2010 ...
Phages Eyed as New Way to Control Salmonella
Agricultural Research Service ( ARS ) scientists and university cooperators have collected and partially characterized ... Category: Agriculture Type: News Source: USDA Agriculture Research Service Date: Friday, April 28th, 2006 User ...
Beneficial Fungal Strains Fight Harmful Ones in Corn
... is the U.S.D.A. 's chief scientific research agency. Category: Agriculture Type: News Source: USDA Agriculture Research Service Date: Tuesday, February 22nd, 2005 User Comments
Research Agency Declares Top Scientists for 2004
... | Award Mid-South Area -- W. Paul Williams , ARS Corn Host Plant Resistance Research Unit , Mississippi State, Miss., for research leading to solutions to the corn industry's insect, nematode and aflatoxin ...
Products Control Mexican Corn Rootworms in Texas
... in field tests conducted by Agricultural Research Service scientists. Almost every acre of Texas-grown corn is treated ... Category: Agriculture Type: News Source: USDA Agriculture Research Service Date: Thursday, June 15th, 2000 User ...
U.S.D.A. Researchers Create Highly Aflatoxin-Resistant Corn
... at $85 to $100 million in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. This new corn line from scientists at USDA's Agricultural Research Service could be an important step toward the long-term goal of commercial ...
New Corn Lines Ward off Aflatoxin
... crop. Since 1991, Agricultural Research Service scientists in New Orleans have been testing corn lines from all ... Category: Agriculture Type: News Source: USDA Agriculture Research Service Date: Monday, May 11th, 1998 ...
New Corn Lines Resist Aflatoxin, Weevils
New corn breeding lines developed by Agricultural Research Service scientists have built-in resistance to ... to breed resistant varieties. Category: Agriculture Type: News Source: USDA Agriculture Research Service Date: ...
Afla-Guard Also Protects Corn Crops
... the E.P.A. (EPA) for use on corn, beginning with the 2009 crop. Recently retired Agricultural Research Service (ARS) microbiologist Joe ... Category: Agriculture Type: News Source: USDA Agriculture Research Service Date: Wednesday, December 31st, 1969 ...
