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Mycoflora of Iranian Maize Harvested in the Main Production Areas in 2000

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Abstract

Maize is one of the most important cereals produced in, and imported into, Iran. The incidences of seed-borne fungi were determined in Iranian maize harvested in 2000 from four major production areas with different climatic conditions, namely Fars, Khuzestan, Kermanshah and Mazandaran provinces. This is the first study to compare the mycoflora of maize in the aforementioned areas. Mycological analyses showed a predominance of Fusarium species (38.5%), followed by Aspergillus species (8.7%), Rhizopus species (4.8%), Penicillium species (4.5%), Mucor species (1.1%), and four other fungal genera. Fusarium verticillioides was the most prevalent species (83% of Fusarium isolates and 52% of the total isolations), with the highest incidence in Mazandaran (59%), a region of Iran with the highest rainfall and relative humidity, high rate of esophageal cancer (EC) and high levels of fumonisins in maize. Aspergillus flavus was the most widely recovered Aspergillus species and 38\% of samples were contaminated with this potentially aflatoxigenic fungus. The incidence of A. flavus was highest in Kermanshah, the province with lowest mean minimum temperature. Penicillium species were seen in all the samples and Fars had the highest incidence, with highly significant differences when compared to the other three provinces. Diplodia species were not isolated from any of the samples examined.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Parasitology and Mycology Department, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, PO Box 14155-6446, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

    Seyed Amir Ghiasian & Parivash Kord-Bacheh

  2. Pharmacology Department, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, PO Box 13145-784, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

    Seyed Mahdi Rezayat

  3. Medical Parasitology and Mycology Department, School of Medicine, Hamedan University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, PO Box 65155-518, Hamedan, Islamic Republic of Iran

    Seyed Amir Ghiasian, Amir Hossein Maghsood & Heshmatallah Taherkhani

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Ghiasian, S.A., Kord-Bacheh, P., Rezayat, S.M. et al. Mycoflora of Iranian Maize Harvested in the Main Production Areas in 2000. Mycopathologia 158, 113–121 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:MYCO.0000038425.95049.03

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