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Determine the composition and geographic structure of A. flavus communities resident in South Texas. Establish the population dynamics of A. flavus in the cotton-corn-sorghum rotation of South Texas. Assess potential of atoxigenic strains native to South Texas to competitively exclude aflatoxin producers and thereby reduce aflatoxin contamination. Perform field plot evaluations to determine the potential of atoxigenic strain technology as a management tool for aflatoxin contamination in South Texas.
Field sampling and laboratory analyses will be used to describe soil communities of A. flavus both qualitatively and quantitatively. Relationships between community structure and factors will be assessed. Factors include: cropping history, soil type, weather, and geography. Through collaboration with gins and oil mills, crop data and samples representative of South Texas will be obtained and analyzed to assess associations and to determine geographic regions of greatest concern. Atoxigenic strains of A. flavus from South Texas will be compared for potential as biocontrol agents. Field plots will be used to evaluate performance of atoxigenic strain formulations in irrigated and dryland areas of South Texas with aflatoxin problems. Crop and soil samples from treated and control plots will be analyzed in the laboratory to determine single season and long-term influences of atoxigenic strains. Results will be shared with the industry to develop a consensus on whether development of atoxigenic strain technology for South Texas should be pursued.