Corn Research

Development of an integrated mycotoxin management system in Ontario corn
Dr. Art Schaafsma, University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus

Demand for corn in Ontario has been steadily increasing in response primarily to a growing demand for industrial feedstock resulting from the expanding fuel ethanol industry. Because of the health risk associated with mycotoxins, there is an increasing awareness of the presence of these compounds in food and animal feed. Increasingly, the accepted limits of these substances in traded goods are becoming more and more restrictive. The frequency and intensity of mycotoxin contamination is greatest in the Great Lakes Basin because of a combination of factors that include:

1. Frequently favourable weather conditions for mycotoxin accumulation.
2. Lack of information about corn hybrid tolerance to fusarium.
3. Changes in agronomic practices might have led to the increase in inoculum and load distribution of Fusarium species.

Initial estimates indicate that the episodic Fusarium event of 2006 cost Ontario’s corn industry over $60 million (200 million bushels at $0.30 per bushel).

One possible approach to managing mycotoxin contamination in corn is the use of an integrated system. The wheat industry has, as a result of past experience, developed procedures for responding to future episodic events.
This project stresses the importance of preventive measures to manage mycotoxin contamination in corn. The control system will include:

1. Evaluation of the contamination process through surveillance.
2. Investigation of practical and innovative analytical methods to improve the accuracy of mycotoxin determination using near infrared for DON and liquid chromatography techniques for multitoxin detection.
3. Evaluation of the sensitivity of commercial corn hybrids to Fusarium infection or mycotoxin accumulation for risk reduction purposes.
4. Evaluation of early warning forecasting systems and fungicide management tools to control Fusarium infection and/or mycotoxins accumulation in field trials.

Information on commercial hybrids will allow producers to select hybrids that may lower the risk of fusarium infection. The information generated in this project will be useful in providing technical guidance to mitigate mycotoxin contamination in Fusarium epidemic years.