Poster presentation at International Congress of Plant Pathology (ICPP) 2018

1. www.iita.org I www.cgiar.org
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
• Aflatoxins are synthesized by aflatoxin-
producing Aspergillus spp. including
A. flavus (Fig. 1b)
• Aflatoxins are carcinogens, immunity
suppressants, and when they contaminate
crops reduce farmers’ access to premium
markets, causing poverty
Introduction
Methods
Conclusion: The pull-mechanism system
contributed to reducing aflatoxin exposure at a large
scale and provided entry of Aflasafe into the commercial
environment.
Acknowledgements:
Selected references
1.Ezekiel, C. N. et al. (2014) ‘Mycotoxin exposure in rural residents in northern Nigeria: a pilot study using multi-urinary biomarkers’, Environment International, 66, pp. 138–145
2.Atehnkeng, J. et al. (2008) ‘Evaluation of atoxigenic isolates of Aspergillus flavus as potential biocontrol agents for aflatoxin in maize’, Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A, 25(10), pp. 1264–1271.
3.Bandyopadhyay, R.; Ortega-Beltran, A.; Akande, A.; Mutegi, C.; Atehnkeng, J.; Kaptoge, L.; Senghor, A. L.; Adhikari, B. N.; Cotty, P. J. (2016) ‘Biological control of aflatoxins in Africa: current status and potential
challenges in the face of climate change’. World Mycotoxin Journal. 2016 9(5), pp. 771-789.
4.AgResults Initiative (2018) Nigeria Aflasafe™ Pilot, AgResults Innovation in Research and Delivery. Available at: http://agresults.org/en/283/NigeriaAflasafePilot (Accessed: 21 June 2018).
Aflatoxin biological control beyond research-scale
towards
commercial-scale adoption
Titilayo Falade1, Akande Adebowale1, Alejandro Ortega-Béltran1, Godwin Okpachu1, Peter J. Cotty2 and
Ranajit Bandyopadhyay1.(1)International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, NIGERIA (2)USDA-ARS,
University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
farmers, implementers,
national partners.
• IITA, in collaboration with USDA-ARS and
partners developed a biocontrol product
called Aflasafe™ (Fig. 1c) for aflatoxin
management2,3
• Adoption of Aflasafe™ in Nigeria is being
encouraged by using ‘pull-mechanism’
system to influence market system
• Nigeria (Fig. 1a) requires over 9
million tons of maize annually for
human consumption and animal feed
• Aflatoxin contamination in market-sold
grains is high leading to chronic
exposure risks1
Results: Above 90% of samples had <20 ppb of total aflatoxin concentration. Aflasafe strain recovery was ≥65% in >80% of
samples. Price premium was achieved (Fig. 3), interested implementers, farmers increased (Fig. 4a, 4b), farm area treated and
Aflasafe-treated maize aggregated increased (Fig. 4c, 4d) leading to increased access to safer grains and higher incomes.
Following the development of aflatoxin biocontrol at the research-scale and its registration (Nos.1 to 3, Fig. 2 ), the ‘pull-
mechanism’ (No. 4, Fig. 4) was used to stimulate the private sector into adopting Aflasafe™ for commercial purposes
1. Laboratory experiments for biocontrol strain identification2
2. Field trials for assessment of strain performance in situ
3. Demonstration of efficacy of biological control product to growers
-Screening and selection of
private-sector agricultural
enterprises based on
multiple criteria including
capacity for smallholder
farmer organization
- Training of representatives from
private sector on aflatoxin
management and pull mechanism.
- Establishment of linkage
platforms between growers and off
takers
4. Pull-mechanism for commercial-scale adoption of biocontrol product4
- Sale of Aflasafe™ to businesses for field
treatment
- Testing for aflatoxin levels (used by private
businesses for price negotiations at premium
market) & for presence of biological control strains
(used to calculate incentive payment of $18.74/ton)
Steps for the development of Aflasafe™
and its registration
(a) (b) (c) Figure 1
(a) Map of Africa
showing Nigeria in
green
(b) 5-day old culture of
A. flavus in Petri dish
containing potato
dextrose agar
(c) Aflasafe™ grains in
Petri dish
Figure 2: Nos. 1 to 3 Steps for Aflasafe™ development and registration, No. 4 Method used for pull mechanism
Figure 3: Extra earnings to farmers after sale of
Aflasafe-treated maize
Figure 4: Influence of pull mechanism on (a) interested implementers (b)
interested farmers (c) farm area treated (d) Aflasafe-treated maize aggregated