scholarly journals Bees Occurring in Corn Production Fields Treated with Atoxigenic Aspergillus flavus (Texas, USA)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krishna B. Bhandari ◽  
Scott D. Longing ◽  
Charles P. West
Keyword(s):  
Aspergillus Flavus ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Soil Fungus ◽  
Sweat Bee ◽  
Corn Production ◽  
Corn Fields ◽  
Toxigenic Strains ◽  
Biological Pesticide ◽  
Bee Communities

A saprophytic soil fungus, Aspergillus flavus, produces aflatoxin (toxigenic strains) in the kernels of corn (Zea mays L.) and seeds of many other crops. Many strains of A. flavus do not produce toxigenic aflatoxin, and soil application of these atoxigenic strains is a suppressive control tactic to assist in controlling toxigenic conspecifics. Effects of atoxigenic A. flavus applications on honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) and other bees are unknown, and basic information on bee occurrences in corn fields treated with and without this biological pesticide is needed to inform integrated pest management in corn. Fields with atoxigenic A. flavus applications were compared to nearby control fields in three counties in corn production regions in eastern Texas. In each corn field, twenty bee bowl traps were deployed along four equal transects located between corn rows, with contents of the bowls (i.e. bees) retrieved after 24 hours. Eleven bee genera from four families were collected from corn fields, with only two honey bees collected and zero honey bees observed in transects. The sweat bee genus Agapostemon (primarily composed of the Texas-striped sweat bee A. texanus) was most abundant in corn fields (44% of the total number of bees collected) followed by long-horned bees (Melissodes spp., 24%). The southernmost county (i.e. San Patricio) produced over 80% of the total number of bees collected. Bee communities occurring in corn production fields with applications of atoxigenic A. flavus applications were not significantly different from nearby control fields. While little is known of bee resource use in corn production systems in Texas, the abundant yet variable bee communities across latitudes in this study suggests a need to investigate the influence of farming practices on bee resources in regional corn production systems.

scholarly journals Bees Occurring in Corn Production Fields Treated with Atoxigenic Aspergillus flavus (Texas, USA)

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 571
Author(s):  
Krishna B. Bhandari ◽  
Scott D. Longing ◽  
Charles P. West
Keyword(s):  
Zea Mays ◽  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Aspergillus Flavus ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Zea Mays L ◽  
Soil Fungus ◽  
Basic Information ◽  
Sweat Bee ◽  
Corn Production ◽  
Toxigenic Strains

A saprophytic soil fungus, Aspergillus flavus, produces aflatoxin (toxigenic strains) in the kernels of corn (Zea mays L.) and seeds of many other crops. Many strains of A. flavus do not produce toxigenic aflatoxin, and soil application of these atoxigenic strains is a suppressive control tactic to assist in controlling toxigenic conspecifics. Effects of atoxigenic A. flavus applications on honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) and other bees are unknown, and basic information on bee occurrences in cornfields treated with and without this biological agent is needed to inform integrated pest management in corn. Fields receiving atoxigenic A. flavus applications of FourSureTM were compared to nearby control fields in three counties in corn production regions in eastern Texas. In each cornfield, 20 bee bowl traps were deployed along four equal transects located between corn rows, with contents of the bowls (i.e., bees) retrieved after 24 h. Eleven bee genera from four families were collected from cornfields, with only two honey bees collected and zero honey bees observed in transects. The sweat bee genus Agapostemon (primarily composed of the Texas striped sweat bee A. texanus) was most abundant in cornfields (44% of the total number of bees collected), followed by long-horned bees (Melissodes spp., 24%). The southernmost county (i.e., San Patricio) produced over 80% of the total number of bees collected. Bee numbers occurring in cornfields with applications of atoxigenic A. flavus applications were not significantly different from those of nearby control fields. Although not statistically significant, total numbers of bees tended to be lower in FourSure-treated fields than in control fields. More extensive research on bee abundances in relation to the effect of atoxigenic A. flavus is warranted.

scholarly journals Standardized research protocols enable transdisciplinary research of climate variation impacts in corn production systems

2014 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 532-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. J. Kladivko ◽  
M. J. Helmers ◽  
L. J. Abendroth ◽  
D. Herzmann ◽  
R. Lal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Production Systems ◽  
Climate Variation ◽  
Transdisciplinary Research ◽  
Corn Production ◽  
Research Protocols

Nitrogen Rate, Landscape Position, and Harvesting of Corn Stover Impacts on Energy Gains and Sustainability of Corn Production Systems in South Dakota

2010 ◽  
Vol 102 (6) ◽  
pp. 1535-1541 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Mamani-Pati ◽  
D. E. Clay ◽  
C. G. Carlson ◽  
S. A. Clay ◽  
G. Reicks ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Dakota ◽  
Corn Stover ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Landscape Position ◽  
Nitrogen Rate ◽  
Corn Production ◽  
Energy Gains

scholarly journals Identification of Two Aflatrem Biosynthesis Gene Loci in Aspergillus flavus and Metabolic Engineering of Penicillium paxilli To Elucidate Their Function

2009 ◽  
Vol 75 (23) ◽  
pp. 7469-7481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Nicholson ◽  
Albert Koulman ◽  
Brendon J. Monahan ◽  
Beth L. Pritchard ◽  
Gary A. Payne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aspergillus Flavus ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Soil Fungus ◽  
Gene Clusters ◽  
Deletion Mutants ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Functional Homolog ◽  
Biosynthesis Gene ◽  
Penicillium Paxilli ◽  
Diterpene Biosynthesis

ABSTRACT Aflatrem is a potent tremorgenic toxin produced by the soil fungus Aspergillus flavus, and a member of a structurally diverse group of fungal secondary metabolites known as indole-diterpenes. Gene clusters for indole-diterpene biosynthesis have recently been described in several species of filamentous fungi. A search of Aspergillus complete genome sequence data identified putative aflatrem gene clusters in the genomes of A. flavus and Aspergillus oryzae. In both species the genes for aflatrem biosynthesis cluster at two discrete loci; the first, ATM1, is telomere proximal on chromosome 5 and contains a cluster of three genes, atmG, atmC, and atmM, and the second, ATM2, is telomere distal on chromosome 7 and contains five genes, atmD, atmQ, atmB, atmA, and atmP. Reverse transcriptase PCR in A. flavus demonstrated that aflatrem biosynthesis transcript levels increased with the onset of aflatrem production. Transfer of atmP and atmQ into Penicillium paxilli paxP and paxQ deletion mutants, known to accumulate paxilline intermediates paspaline and 13-desoxypaxilline, respectively, showed that AtmP is a functional homolog of PaxP and that AtmQ utilizes 13-desoxypaxilline as a substrate to synthesize aflatrem pathway-specific intermediates, paspalicine and paspalinine. We propose a scheme for aflatrem biosynthesis in A. flavus based on these reconstitution experiments in P. paxilli and identification of putative intermediates in wild-type cultures of A. flavus.

Yield and Yield Gaps in Central U.S. Corn Production Systems

2014 ◽  
Vol 106 (6) ◽  
pp. 2248-2254 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. B. Egli ◽  
J. L. Hatfield
Keyword(s):  
Production Systems ◽  
Corn Production ◽  
Yield Gaps

scholarly journals Simulated nitrate leaching in annually cover cropped and perennial living mulch corn production systems

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.S. Andrews ◽  
Z.P. Sanders ◽  
M.L. Cabrera ◽  
N.S. Hill ◽  
D.E. Radcliffe
Keyword(s):  
Nitrate Leaching ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Living Mulch ◽  
Corn Production

Efficacy of a Biopesticide for Control of Aflatoxins in Corn

2010 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 495-499 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOE W. DORNER
Keyword(s):  
Aspergillus Flavus ◽  
Aflatoxin Contamination ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Application Rates ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Toxigenic Strains ◽  
And Control ◽  
Mean Concentration

A 2-year study was carried out to determine the efficacy of a biopesticide in reducing aflatoxin contamination in corn. The biopesticide, afla-guard, delivers a nontoxigenic strain of Aspergillus flavus to the field where it competes with naturally occurring toxigenic strains of the fungus. Afla-guard was applied to entire fields in two areas of Texas at either 11.2 or 22.4 kg/ha. Specific nontreated fields in close proximity to treated fields were designated as controls. Samples of corn were collected at harvest and analyzed for aflatoxins and density of toxigenic and nontoxigenic isolates of A. flavus. Aflatoxin concentrations were generally quite low in 2007, but the mean concentration in treated samples (0.5 ppb) was reduced by 85% compared with controls (3.4 ppb). In 2008, samples from treated and control fields averaged 1.5 and 12.4 ppb, respectively, an 88% reduction. There were no significant differences between the two afla-guard application rates. In conjunction with the reductions in aflatoxin contamination, treatments produced significant reductions in the incidence of toxigenic isolates of A. flavus in corn.

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