Soil-borne and Compost-borne Aspergillus Species for Biologically Controlling Post-harvest Diseases of Potatoes Incited by Fusarium sambucinum and Phytophthora erythroseptica

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivar development programs routinely incorporate resistance to fungal diseases that limit forage yield, quality and stand longevity. "Hay molding", caused by saprophytic fungi, reduces forage quality during the post-harvest period, but genetic resistance has not been reported. The objective was to determine the response to selection for post-harvest fungal resistance in alfalfa. Initially, 1144 genotypes from 22 alfalfa cultivars were screened for post-harvest fungal resistance with a combination of Aspergillus species. Forty resistant and 40 susceptible genotypes were selected by measuring percentage of leaf area with fungal coverage. The selected genotypes and their maternally derived half-sib families were screened for resistance to Aspergillus repens. Mean leaf area with fungal coverage was significantly (P < 0.05) lower for resistant than susceptible parental genotypes and maternal half-sib families. Percent leaf area with fungal coverage ranged from 13.2 to 70.5% (mean, 41.7 ± 1.7) among resistant and 28.2 – 83.4% (mean, 50.2 ± 1.7) among susceptible parental genotypes. Among the maternal half-sib families, resistant families ranged from 14.0 to 51.3% (mean, 32.1 ± 1.8) and susceptible families from 18.8 to 60.1% (mean, 40.3 ± 1.9). These results show a positive response to selection for post-harvest fungal resistance in alfalfa. Key words: Alfalfa, Medicago sativa, post-harvest fungi, Aspergillus species, breeding, divergent selection

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Genetic diversity of aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus flavus isolated from groundnuts in selected agro-ecological zones of Uganda

10.21203/rs.2.13266/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Amos Acur ◽

Renée S. Arias ◽

Steven Odongo ◽

Samuel Tuhaise ◽

Joseph Ssekandi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Aspergillus Flavus ◽

Lake Victoria ◽

Farming System ◽

Aspergillus Species ◽

Lake Victoria Basin ◽

West Nile ◽

Ecological Zones ◽

Post Harvest ◽

Agro Ecological Zones

Abstract Background Aspergillus is the main fungal genus causing pre- and post-harvest contamination of groundnuts. Aspergillus flavus belongs to section Flavi, a group consisting of both the aflatoxigenic species (A. flavus, A. parasiticus and A. nomius) and non-aflatoxigenic species (A. oryzae, A. sojae and A. tamarii). Aflatoxins are food-borne toxic secondary metabolites produced by Aspergillus species, causing hepatic carcinoma and stunting in children and are the most toxic carcinogenic mycotoxins ever identified. Despite the well-known public health problems associated with aflatoxicosis in Uganda, information about the genetic diversity of the main aflatoxin causing fungus, Aspergillus flavus in this country is still limited. Results A cross-sectional survey was therefore carried out in three main groundnut-growing agro-ecological zones (AEZs) of Uganda; West Nile farming system, Lake Kyoga basin mixed farming system and Lake Victoria basin farming system. This was to assess the genetic diversity of A. flavus and to establish the contamination rates of groundnuts with Aspergillus species at pre- and post-harvest stages. Out of the 213 A. flavus isolates identified in this study, 96 representative isolates were fingerprinted using 16 insertion/deletion microsatellite markers. Data from fingerprinting were analyzed through Neighbor Joining while polymorphism was determined using Arlequin v 3.5. The pre- and post-harvest contamination rates were; 2.5% and 50.0% (West Nile farming system), 55.0% and 35.0% (Lake Kyoga basin mixed farming system) and 32.5% and 32.5% (Lake Victoria basin farming system) respectively. The Chi-square test showed no significant differences between pre- and post-harvest contamination rates among AEZs (p = 0.199). Only 67 out of 96 isolates produced suitable allele scores for genotypic analysis. Analysis of genetic diversity showed higher variation within populations than among populations. Two major clusters (aflatoxigenic and non-aflatoxigenic isolates) were identified as colonizing groundnuts at pre- and post-harvest stages. Conclusions These findings provide a first insight on the existence of non-aflatoxigenic strains of A. flavus in Uganda. These strains are potential candidates for developing local Aspergillus bio-control agent.

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