MyToolBox

In order to identify products to be used for the control of Fusarium mycotoxins in small grain cereals, including control suitable for organic farming, two field trials of oats were conducted at the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO) in Norway summer 2016. One of the trials was inoculated with Fusarium graminearum infested oat grains. After a few weeks, a large amount of black perithecia (fruiting bodies of the fungus) were developing on the infested grains, just in time to spread F. graminearum ascospores to the oat flowers. The weather at oat flowering was warm and rainy, which gave perfect conditions for the development and dispersal of F. graminearum ascospores, and further for the infection and development of Fusarium mycotoxins in oats. After flowering, salmon coloured sporodochia of F. graminearum were observed on some of the oat spikelets (Picture 1).

During a face-to-face meeting at Schipol Skyport offices, The Netherlands, Ine van der Fels, Paulien Adamse and Louise Camenzuli from RIKILT, Vittorio Rossi, Valentina Manstretta and Tiziano Bettati from HORTA and Edurne Gaston and Jose Antonio Ibarra from IRIS discussed the design and first steps towards the development of the MYTOOLBOX e-platform. This e-platform will provide users with information, tools and guidance concerning actions that can be taken to reduce fungal contamination and lead to reduction in levels of mycotoxins in the food and feed chains. It is envisaged that the alpha version of the MYTOOLBOX e-platform will be available for testing in June 2017.

Maize is growing fast on the Serbian fields for the MyToolBox project, thanks to proper and timely pest- and weed-control on the fields from Agrocentrum in Bečej, Serbia. By mid July 2016 the plants were found to be ready for the next step: Testing pre-defined, local non-toxic Aspergillus flavus strains - a fungi who is known for producing aflatoxins, among others. For doing so, students and staff from the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Novi Sad (PFNS), Serbia, joined Agrocentrum for inoculating defined plots with locally sourced atoxigenic Aspergillus flavus strains. With these measures, MyToolBox will gather new insight into the efficacy of local biocontrol mechanisms for Serbian maize-producers.

Following the sowing of maize, D.O.O. Agrocentrum Bečej (Serbia) regularly checks the development of the corn in the fields in Bečej (Serbia). Immediately after emergence the corn was attacked by the Maize Leaf Weevil (lat. Tanymecus dilaticollis), a pest eating the leaves of maize and thus causing damage to the plant if not treated on time. Later on, Agrocentrum's staff found eggs and larvae from the European corn borer (lat. Ostrinia nubilalis) on the maize plants - a well-known pest in Europe, whose larvae drills into the plant and therefore damages the development of the maize. To counteract losses, insecticides were applied on time against each pest. These treatments and regular weed-control mechanisms ensure further development of the corn, which will provide important insights into the suitability of these types of corn for local production in Serbia.

During a face-to-face meeting at IRIS' office in Castelldefels, Spain, Naresh Magan from Cranfield University and Alejandro Rosales, Yedileth Contreras and Edurne Gaston from IRIS discussed the design of sensors for monitoring silos on conditions for mycotoxin-producing fungi. Close collaboration with the Chinese partners from ASAG - Academy of State Administration of Grains - ensured that the consortium has a clear picture of the local conditions of storing wheat, maize and peanuts in China. Building on IRIS' know-how in sensor development, Cranfield’s extensive experience in forecasting modelling and ASAG's local knowledge, MyToolBox is en route on its post-harvest objective: To develop real-time post-harvest environmental monitoring systems for storage of cereals and peanuts

The MyToolBox team represented by the coordinator Rudolf Krska and Dr. Gerd Schatzmayr (Biomin) and Dr. Veronika Nagl (Biomin) visit the facilities of the Academy of State Administration of Grain (ASAG) in Beijing.

MyToolBox coordinator Rudolf Krska presents "The smart MyToolBox way to tackle mycotoxins" at the 1^st China Mycotoxin conference and National Science & Technology Innovation Alliance for Mycotoxicology in Beijing on 29 June 2016.

Dr. Jinquan Wang (Feed Research Institute, CAAS) and MyToolBox coordinator Rudolf Krska presented the Sino-EU Mycotoxin-Forum on the detoxification of mycotoxins on 28 June 2016 in Beijing.

In April 2016, the MyToolBox partner D.O.O. Agrocentrum Bečej (Serbia), under the lead of Imre Gortva and Helena Stanko, started to work on pre-harvest mycotoxin reduction strategies (work package 1) in Bečej, Serbia.

In April 2016, the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Novi Sad (Serbia), under the lead of Dr. Ferenc Bagi, started its work on pre-harvest mycotoxin reduction strategies (work package 1) in Sombor, Serbia.