Predicting aflatoxin content in peanuts using ambient temperature, soil temperature and soil moisture content during pod development

Hendrix, M C and Obed, I L and Alice, M M and Elijah, P and Jones, Y and Njoroge, S M C and Rick, L B and David, J (2019) Predicting aflatoxin content in peanuts using ambient temperature, soil temperature and soil moisture content during pod development. African Journal of Plant Science, 13 (3). pp. 59-69. ISSN 1996-0824

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Abstract

Higher than acceptable aflatoxin levels in peanut kernels (Arachis hypogaea L.) and related products is a worldwide food safety concern. Strict regulatory standards by major importers of peanuts limit the marketability of peanuts for many developing tropical countries including Zambia. The incidence of preharvest aflatoxins is strongly linked to soil and weather conditions during pod-development. This study aimed to formulate statistical models to predict total aflatoxin content in peanut kernels using selected environmental factors during pod development. Field experiments were conducted for two years during which the peanut crop was exposed to 84 combinations of ambient temperature, soil temperature and soil moisture content measured during the last 30 days of pod development. These data were used to formulate regression models to predict total aflatoxin content in peanut kernels. Simple linear regression models had R2 values of 0.30 for maximum ambient temperature, 0.24 for soil temperature and 0.38 for soil moisture content. Combining soil moisture content and soil temperature in a multivariate regression model could explain 54% of the variation in total aflatoxin content while a combination of soil moisture content and maximum ambient temperature could only explain 46% of the variation in total aflatoxin content.

Item Type:	Article
Divisions:	Research Program : East & Southern Africa
CRP:	UNSPECIFIED
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Aflatoxin, Groundnut, Linear regression, Statistical model, Zambia
Subjects:	Others > Zambia Others > Statistical Models Mandate crops > Groundnut Others > Soil Science Others > Aflatoxins
Depositing User:	Mr Arun S
Date Deposited:	13 Mar 2020 08:30
Last Modified:	13 Mar 2020 08:31
URI:	http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/11390
Official URL:	https://doi.org/10.5897/AJPS2018.1742
Projects:	UNSPECIFIED
Funders:	UNSPECIFIED
Acknowledgement:	This study was mainly funded by the Peanut and Mycotoxin Innovation Laboratory under the Southern African Value Chain Project through the U.S. Agency for International Development, under the terms of Award No. AID-ECG-A-00-07-0001 to The University of Georgia as the management entity for the U.S. Feed the Future Innovation Lab on Peanut Productivity and Mycotoxin Control. Partial funding from the University of Zambia, Directorate of Research and Graduate Studies under the 2017/18 Research Seed Money Award to Mr. Hendrix Chalwe facilitated field experiments conducted in the 2017/2018 cropping season.
Links:	Google Scholar

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