As climate change continues to alter weather patterns around the planet including the Midwest, researchers atMichigan State Universityare modeling the impact on crops such as corn.
The fungi Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus produce aflatoxin which can infect peanuts, tree nuts and corn. Aflatoxin not only degrades corn quality butcan also cause health problems for humans and animalsdepending on the amount and length of time it is ingested.
Whileaflatoxin contaminationoccurs annually in the southern U.S. because of the hot and dry climate, it has rarely been a serious problem in the Corn Belt region of the U.S.
“当我们跑短期气候模型场景, we found that between 2031-2040, aflatoxin is going to become more of a problem in the U.S. Corn Belt in the Midwest,” saidFelicia Wu, aJohn A. Hannah Distinguished Professorand an international expert on food safety in theDepartment of Food Science and Human Nutritionand theDepartment of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economicsin theCollege of Agriculture and Natural Resourcesat MSU.
In herresearch, published April 5, 2022, Wu noted hot and dry conditions encourage fungi spores to be airborne which increases their chances of contaminating crops. Water helps plants withstand stress that makes them vulnerable to harmful fungi.
Grain elevators and processors can reduce the risk of aflatoxin contamination by storing corn harvests in cool, dry conditions and keeping crops irrigated to the extent possible given declining water tables.
“We predict seeing an increase in aflatoxin problems over the next 10 to 20 years,” Wu said. “So, we need to rely on technologies and a whole suite of interventions that can reduce the problem.”
