Varietal Differences of Groundnut in the Production of Aflatoxin

Abstract

Toxic substances, known as aflatoxins, shown to cause acute liver damage in different species of animals, have been demonstrated in mouldy groundnuts and groundnut meals^1,2. These toxic metabolites are elaborated by certain strains of Aspergillus flavus which infest the groundnut crop in unfavourable conditions of collection, storage and transport. There have been several reports^3–5 of the conditions of growth of the fungus and production of aflatoxin in relation to agricultural practices involved in growing the groundnut crop. Surveys conducted in the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, India³, and in the Riverain Provinces of Northern Nigeria^4,5 have indicated that, with the agricultural practices prevalent in the developing countries, it is difficult to adopt various control measures that might appear necessary in improving agricultural conditions liable to influence the development of aflatoxin on groundnuts. It was therefore felt that a careful investigation of the relative production of aflatoxin by different varieties would be valuable. The present communication outlines the findings of the screening trials on a large number of varieties of groundnut.