Aflatoxin contamination levels in farmer's preferred maize varieties and exotic lines in Tanzania

Aflatoxins are carcinogenic compounds produced by fungi like Aspergillus, which contaminate key crops such as maize, leading to food insecurity, poor health, and economic challenges, particularly in African countries where maize is a staple. High temperature, humidity, and insect damage increase aflatoxin contamination. Efforts to manage this issue are underway, with the most promising solution being the development of maize genotypes that accumulate lower levels of toxins and resist fungal infection. The present study was carried out to determine the reaction of maize genotypes to aflatoxin contamination in twenty selected exotic and local maize genotypes. The experiment was conducted at TARI-Ilonga in a screen house, and it was performed in accordance with a completely randomized design, with each germplasm replicated three times. The plants were inoculated with an A. flavus conidial suspension using the needle inoculation technique. An ultra-performance liquid chromatography fluorescence detector was used to quantify aflatoxin levels in the seeds of the maize genotypes. The results revealed varying degrees of aflatoxin contamination across the maize genotypes tested, ranging from 1.6 to 770.1 μg/kg. This study identified nine genotypes (G3, G10, G11, G12, G14, G15, G17, G18, and G20) that had very low aflatoxin concentrations (1.6–9.5 μg/kg). The identified genotypes can be tested in various environments and proposed for release as varieties or for use as parental materials in breeding programs to enhance food security, improve farmer incomes, and promote good health and sustainable agricultural practices in maize-growing regions. published by the  Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences (JBES)