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Postharvest Pathology and Mycotoxins

Occurrence and Interaction of Aspergillus flavus with Other Fungi on Almonds. Douglas J. Phillips, Research plant pathologist, Market Quality and Transportation Research Laboratory (MQTRL), SEA-AR, U.S. Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 8143, Fresno, CA 93747; Bruce Mackey(2), William R. Ellis(3), and Thor N. Hansen(4). (2)Research plant pathologist, Market Quality and Transportation Research Laboratory (MQTRL), SEA-AR, U.S. Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 8143, Fresno, CA 93747; (3)Consulting statistician, Western Regional Research Center, Berkeley, CA; (4)Agricultural Research technicians, MQTRL, Fresno. Phytopathology 69:829-831. Accepted for publication 29 January 1979. This article is in the public domain and not copyrightable. It may be freely reprinted with customary crediting of the source. The American Phytopathological Society, 1979. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-69-829.

The occurrence of the aflatoxin-producing fungi of the Aspergillus flavus group (AF) on samples from 89 locations in California was influenced by other fungi on the kernels. The influence of these other fungi on AF was evaluated in 1975 and 1976 in field plots. Fruit of almond cultivars Milo, Nonpareil, and Ne Plus were inoculated before hull dehiscence with dry conidia of aflatoxin-producing aspergilli alone or in combination with groups of fungi (1975) or individual isolates (1976). Fungi used included yeasts, Monilinia fructicola, Ulocladium atrum, U. chartarum, Drechslera spicifera, Fusarium roseum, Rhizopus stolonifer, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Penicillium funiculosum, and Aspergillus ficuum. The presence of other fungi with A. flavus or A. parasiticus generally reduced the number of isolates of AF that were recovered from hulls and kernels. Fungi requiring high moisture appeared antagonistic to AF in colonizing almond kernels. U. chartarum reduced the isolation of A. flavus most significantly.