Cereal Chem 57:83 - 84.  |  VIEW ARTICLE
Incidence and Level of Aflatoxin in Preharvest Corn in South Georgia in 1978.

W. W. McMillian, D. M. Wilson, N. W. Widstrom, and R. C. Gueldner. Copyright 1980 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

In 1978, an early and a late season survey of preharvest dent corn in 45 counties on the coastal plain of Georgia revealed 94 and 76% incidences of aflatoxin contamination, respectively. Aflatoxin levels in field samples of corn averaged 62 micrograms/kg and 51 micrograms/kg during the weeks of July 25 and September 5, respectively, and ranged from 0 to 620 micrograms/kg. Thus, the contamination level was considerably lower in the 1978 than in the 1977 survey, in which aflatoxin averaged 622 micrograms/kg and ranged from 0 to 4,708 micrograms/kg. Insect damage in 1978 increased significantly between the early and late surveys, but the average level of aflatoxin decreased. A positive correlation was found between ears with insect damage and ears with visible Aspergillus flavus Link, and between ears with visible A. flavus and those with aflatoxin level. However, the correlation between ears with insect damage and those with aflatoxin level was nonsignificant. These data suggest that environmental factors, in addition to kernel damage, may strongly influence the ultimate level of aflatoxin contamination in preharvest corn.