Grain-borne Fungi on Farmer Saved Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.)
Alex Machio Kange *
School of Pure and Applied Sciences, Bomet University College, P.O. Box 701-20400, Bomet, Kenya.
Sylvans Ochieng Ochola
The Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture, P.O. Box 007, Nyamata, Bugesera, Rwanda.
Eric Mosota Rosana
Catholic Relief Services, Kenya Program, P. O. Box 49675-00100 Nairobi, Kenya and College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Jomo Kenya University of Agriculture and Technology P.O. Box, 62000, Nairobi, Kenya.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is an under-utilized cereal crop grown mainly in arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) with various uses as human food, fodder, feed, fuel and industrial use but its yield and quality is influenced factors during and after production. The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of grain borne fungi on farmer saved sorghum cultivars at pre-and post-harvest value chain. Using direct-plating technique, four fungi genera and 12 species were identified in sampled sorghum grains from farmers and experimental plots. The influence of moisture content (MC) is crucial in growth and development on grain surfaces. Prevalent fungi isolated and identified from the grains were Aspergillus spp., Fusarium spp., Penicillium spp. and Rhizopus spp. An analysis using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) revealed that 30% of the tested samples revealed B1 and B2 strains of aflatoxin. The existence of mould on grains showed mycotoxin strains which result in deterioration of sorghum grains thus food insecurity among the small holder farmers.
Keywords: Sorghum, sampling, grain, fungi, aflatoxin