Mycoflora epidemiology in postharvest maize along • +different actors in , SW : Implication for Mycotoxins producing fungi management

1st African Symposium on Mycotoxicology Livingstone, Zambia

May 26-28, 2015 1

Outline

 Introduction

 Maize importance Why maize PHL Description of study sites and methodology

Results and discussion

Summary and conclusions

2 Maize importance

 Maize is the leading cereal crop in Ethiopia

 Ranked first both in area coverage and productivity

SW of Ethiopia

 Main food source for about 2.5 million Jimma zone

 Important food security crop for in the area

3 Why maize PHL?

 The need to feed increasing human population

 Growing demand for safe food, quality and convenience

 Increasing need to being more responsive to consumer demands

 Growing globalization and urbanization and the need to transport agricultural produce longer distances – Market issue

4 Why maize PHL?

 Higher PHL is one of the major production income challenges in SW part of Ethiopia

 Fungi pathogens considered among important factor  Cause of quality & quantity loss  Health impact

 However, inadequate comprehensive data available for maize PHL due to fungi in store SW part Ethiopia

 Also, there is no information as commodity pass from producers to wholesalers along value chain

5

PHL of maize cobs due to mold

6 PHL of maize …

7 Objectives

1.To document infection level of fungal pathogens at farmers, collectors/small traders and wholesalers storage conditions

2. To identify fungal pathogens associated along value chain storage structures

8 Methodology   Jimma Zone (, Omonada, , Kersa and ) districts  N - 7°15´ N and 8°45´  E - 36° 00´ E and 37°40´ Altitude from 900 to 3334 masl Average annual rain fall 1600mm  Multi-stage sampling technique was employed  45 producers, 15 small traders and 3 Wholesalers  Six times data have been collected  Grain moisture content – Digital moisture tester  Fungal infection level – Blotter test techniques Aflatoxin quantification - HPLC

 Fungal identification – Morphological features 9 Fungal identification

1 2 Morphological identification of fungi

4 3 10/13/2014 10 RESULT

1. Maize grains moisture content 35 1st Storage . Highest 2nd duration in moisture content 30 3rd months at loading stage 4th

25 5th

6th . Most of samples 20 Harvesting &Loading stage Opt. contains moisture moisture more than opt. 15 content

(%) Moisture 10

5

0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

No. of stores visited

Moisture content of maize grains at harvest and loading stage, and subsequent monthly interval data for six month stored maize grains 11 Unsafe moisture content for storage

12 2. Fungi infection level on stored maize

Percentage infection level on maize grains stored under farmers storage conditions

Districts Storage duration (months) CV 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th Sokoru 24.7±2.6o-q 30.9±2.6j-o 37.8±2.6f-m 45.2±2.6e-i 51.8±2.6b-f 20.9 10.5±2.6q O/Nada 21.2±2.6mp 36.1±2.6h-m 37.6±2.6g-m 42.0±2.6f-k 49.8±2.6c-h 56.6±2.6b-e

Mana 17.0±2.6j-o 19.8±2.6n-q 31.1±2.6i-n 40.4±2.6f-k 48.2±2.6d-h 62.9±2.6bc

Kersa 13.0±2.6f-m 27.0±2.6l-o 33.7±2.6i-n 42.5±2.6e-j 50.8±2.6c-f 65.3±2.6ab

Dedo 21.8±2.6e-i 28.4±2.6k-o 41.9±2.6f-k 49.2±2.6c-h 59.9±2.6b-d 78.9±2.6a 13 Infection level on maize grains stored under small traders/collectors storage conditions

100 90 a

lowland midland high land 80 ab 70 bc 60 b-d c-e c-e c-e 50 d-f 40 ef d-f e-g e-g 30 gh f-h gh

20 gh Infection level(%) Infection h h 10 0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th Storage duration (months)

 Significant different (p < 0.05) observed among storage duration and also b/n agro-ecologies esp. lowland and high land maize producing areas during 5th & 6th month stored grains

14 3. Fungal pathogen diversity

Fungal pathogens Producers and traders in districts/town

Sokoru Omonada Kersa Jimma Dedo Mana town P T P T P T P T P T WH Fusarium spp.

Penicillium spp.

Aspergillus spp.

Colletotricum spp.

Geotricum spp.

Cladosporium spp.

Descheria spp. •Green shades represents presence, red shades represents absence • P, T and WH represents producers, small traders and whole sellers 15 respectively 4. Fungal genera frequency occurrence

70 60 50 40 30 20

Frequency (%) Frequency 10 -

Fungi genera

Proportion dominance of different fungi genera isolated from 180 days stored product, samples collected with monthly interval (63 stores). 16 5. Fungi frequency of occurrence

60  Fusarium spp. was dominate Producers under all actors storage 50 Collectors conditions 40 Wholesellers  Penicillium spp. was the 2nd 30 dominate followed by

Aspergillus spp. 20 (%) Frequency  All fungal pathogens are 10 capable of producing Mycotoxins 0

Fungi Genera

17 6. Dominate fungal pathogen trends along storage duration

Fungi genera occurrence along storage duration (months) Actors Fungi genera 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th

Penicillium spp. 5.90 3.89 30.17 26.06 21.58 18.42 Producers Aspergillus spp. 3.14 4.92 4.15 8.70 10.42 24.00

Fusarium spp. 83.63 85.59 62.54 53.31 60.89 41.59

Penicillium spp. 3.53 15.08 26.75 41.42 25.58 45.24 Collectors Aspergillus spp. 2.91 0.40 14.91 6.69 16.67 11.11

Fusarium spp. 89.25 84.52 49.12 41.84 47.67 43.25

Penicillium spp. 4.90 9.09 - 42.86 39.29 28.57 Wholesalers Aspergillus spp. 3.78 11.36 26.67 14.29 14.29 32.14

Fusarium spp. 79.20 72.73 73.33 42.86 46.43 39.2918 7. Aflatoxin quantification

Less than 5% of the tested samples showed + ve result

Parameters Result (µg/kg)

Aflatoxin G2 5.16

Aflatoxin G1 38.79

Aflatoxin B2 7.56

Aflatoxin B1 41.08

Total Aflatoxin 92.59 19 Concluding remarks

 Moisture content at harvest & loading stage not safe for storage  Fungal pathogen infection increase as storage duration increase (storage problem!)  As altitudinal agro-ecology of maize growing increase fungal pathogen infection increases

 More fungal diversity observed from farmers storages

 Top three fungal pathogens isolated from maize grains known to produce mycotoxins,

There is need multimycotoxins analysis

20 Thank you all !

10/13/2014 21