Research Article published by Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences (JBES)
The objective of this study was to isolate and identify atoxigenic and toxigenic strains of Aspergillus section Flavi
in southern Tanzania, and investigate possible application of atoxigenic strains in control of aflatoxin levels in
groundnuts. Fungal communities in soils from groundnut fields were examined to see the distributions of
aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus species and to spot endemic atoxigenic strains. Forty-five isolates belonging to
Aspergillus section Flavi were collected randomly from soils of groundnut fields in three districts and
characterized using morphological and physiological examination. Aspergillus section Flavi was detected in
40/45 (88.89%) of the soil samples collected in Mtwara, Tanzania. Members of Aspergillus section Flavi L-strain
was the most common (79.5%), followed by S-strains (18.4%) and finally Aspergillus tamarii (1.8%). The mean
colony forming unit (CFU) of the Aspergillus colonies per gram of soil was highly variable (p < 0.05) among the
districts, ranging from 8.5×102 to 8.2×103
. The mean pH across the gathering sites additionally varied (pH 5.5-
6.8) which is within the optimal pH requirement for the members of Aspergillus section Flavi. Non-significant
(p > 0.05) variation in temperature across the sampling sites was observed. The results also showed that
Aspergillus flavus was detected in all the three districts. Atoxigenic strains have a potential value to be employed
as biological control agents to mitigate aflatoxin in groundnuts.