Af latoxin contamination of groundnut is a serious problem in most groundnut-producing
countries. The aflatoxin-producing fungi, Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus,
can invade groundnut seed in the field before harvest, during postharvest drying and
curing, and in storage. The semi-arid tropical environment is conducive to preharvest
contamination when the crop experiences drought before harvest, whereas in wet and
humi d areas, postharvest contamination is more prevalent. Af latoxin contamination
can be minimized by adopting some cultural, produce-handling, and storage practices.
However, these practices have not been widely adopted by small farmers in developing
countries which contribute about 60% of the world's groundnut product ion.
Cultivars resistant to seed invasion by aflatoxin-producing fungi or to aflatoxin product
ion woul d be of great value to farmers in both developed and developing countries.
Therefore, breeding for resistance to aflatoxin-producing fungi and/or aflatoxin
product ion can play a significant role in preventing aflatoxin contamination in groundnut
, consequent economic losses, and health hazards.
The alleviation of aflatoxin contamination through genetic manipulation has been
at tempted since the mid 1970s. In spite of the significant progress achieved to date,
these efforts have not resulted in complete freedom f rom aflatoxin contamination.
The current status and future prospects of genetic solutions to the aflatoxin contamination
problem are briefly discussed in this paper
