OAR@ICRISATInvestigations on prevalence of aflatoxin contamination in major groundnut growing states of India, influence of soil characteristics and farmers’ level of awarenessHSudiniauthorP PThirumalaisamyauthorM KNaikauthorKVemanaauthorSSundravadanaauthorU NMangalaauthorKVijay Krishna KumarauthorFood safety issues are of major concern in groundnut due to aflatoxin contamination by Aspergillus flavus. Monitoring aflatoxin prevalence and understanding the factors responsible can provide useful information for devising effective management strategies. The present study focused on mapping the pre-harvest aflatoxin contamination in India along with its determining factors. A comprehensive survey was undertaken during 2012-2014 in four major groundnut growing States such as Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. Pod (n=2434) and rhizospheric soil samples (n=1322) were collected to ascertain A. flavus populations and pre-harvest aflatoxin contamination. Further, kernel aflatoxin levels were correlated with soil organic carbon, available calcium and pH levels in the fields from where the samples were collected. Farmers’ awareness on aflatoxin problem was also determined using a semi-structured questionnaire. Our results indicate wide variations in the occurrence of pre-harvest aflatoxin contamination levels of kernels among different States (0 - 5486 ppb) and samples within States. Detectable levels of aflatoxins (>1ppb) were highest in Karnataka (70.5%), whereas it was lowest in Andhra Pradesh (32.9%). Correlation studies revealed that aflatoxin contents were positively associated with soil pH (r = 0.54-0.99) and A. flavus populations (r = 0.63 in Gujarat; r = 0.75 in Karnataka) whereas soil organic carbon and available calcium were negatively correlated with toxin levels in kernels (r = -0.99). Farmers’ awareness was considerably poor in all the States under survey. Overall, our results suggest the prevalence of aflatoxin contamination in major groundnut growing areas in India, and influence of certain edaphic factors.GroundnutIndian AgricultureAflatoxins2017-02Conference or Workshop Item

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