Abstract
Agronomic factors can affect mycotoxin contamination of maize, one of the most produced cereals. Maize is usually harvested at 18% moisture, but it is not microbiologically stable until it reaches 14% moisture at the drying plants. We studied how three agronomic factors (crop diversification, tillage system and nitrogen fertilization rate) can affect fungal and mycotoxin contamination (deoxynivalenol and fumonisins B1 and B2) in maize at harvest. In addition, changes in maize during a simulated harvest-till-drying period were studied. DON content at harvest was higher for maize under intensive tillage than using direct drilling (2695 and 474 μg kg−1, respectively). We found two reasons for this: (i) soil crusting in intensive tillage plots caused the formation of pools of water that created high air humidity conditions, favouring the development of DON-producing moulds; (ii) the population of Lumbricus terrestris, an earthworm that would indirectly minimize fungal infection and mycotoxin production on maize kernels, is reduced in intensive tillage plots. Therefore, direct drilling is a better approach than intensive tillage for both preventing DON contamination and preserving soil quality. Concerning the simulated harvest-till-drying period, DON significantly increased between storage days 0 and 5. Water activity dropped on the 4th day, below the threshold for DON production (around 0.91). From our perspective, this study constitutes a step forward towards understanding the relationships between agronomic factors and mycotoxin contamination in maize, and towards improving food safety.
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
DON content at harvest was higher in maize under intensive tillage than under direct drilling (2695 and 474 μg kg−1).
- Treatment
- intensive tillagee1
- Outcome
- DON contente1
- Direction
- highere1
- Value
- 2695 and 474 μg kg−1e1
- Comparator
- direct drillinge1
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“DON content at harvest was higher for maize under intensive tillage than using direct drilling (2695 and 474 μg kg−1, respectively)”
Claim · model-written summary
The population of Lumbricus terrestris earthworms is reduced in intensive tillage plots of maize.
- Treatment
- intensive tillagee2
- Interactor
- Lumbricus terrestris
.jpg?width=60)
Lumbricus terrestrise2other - Outcome
- the population of Lumbricus terrestrise2
- Direction
- reducede2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e2“the population of Lumbricus terrestris, an earthworm that would indirectly minimize fungal infection and mycotoxin production on maize kernels, is reduced in intensive tillage plots”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil crusting in intensive tillage plots created pools of water and high air humidity, which favoured the development of DON-producing moulds in maize.
- Treatment
- intensive tillagee3
- Interactor
- DON-producing mouldse3pathogen
- Outcome
- development of DON-producing mouldse3
- Qualifier
- high air humidity conditionse3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Agronomic factors can affect mycotoxin contamination of maize”
e3“soil crusting in intensive tillage plots caused the formation of pools of water that created high air humidity conditions, favouring the development of DON-producing moulds”
Claim · model-written summary
Direct drilling is a better approach than intensive tillage for preventing DON contamination and preserving soil quality in maize.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Agronomic factors can affect mycotoxin contamination of maize”
e4“Therefore, direct drilling is a better approach than intensive tillage for both preventing DON contamination and preserving soil quality”
Claim · model-written summary
DON increased significantly in maize between storage days 0 and 5 of the simulated harvest-till-drying period.
- Outcome
- DONe5
- Direction
- increasede5
- Qualifier
- between storage days 0 and 5e5
- Setting
- simulated harvest-till-drying periode5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Agronomic factors can affect mycotoxin contamination of maize”
e5“Concerning the simulated harvest-till-drying period, DON significantly increased between storage days 0 and 5”
Claim · model-written summary
Water activity of maize dropped on day 4 of the simulated drying period, below the threshold for DON production (around 0.91).
- Outcome
- Water activitye6
- Direction
- droppede6
- Qualifier
- below the threshold for DON production (around 0.91)e6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Agronomic factors can affect mycotoxin contamination of maize”
e6“Water activity dropped on the 4th day, below the threshold for DON production (around 0.91)”
The same questions in other papers
tillage · disease · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results
20 papers in the same direction as this paper · 33 in the opposite direction
- no effect
- negative
- positive
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See all 54 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.