Train and assist scientists based in Africa with the development of biological control for the management of aflatoxins in Zambia with the goal of optimizing the use of native microbials for the practical management of aflatoxin contamination.
Approach:
In collaboration between International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS), and Zambia Agriculture Research Institute (ZARI), potential biological control agents will be collected from soils and crops collected in the target country. Techniques will be developed to provide information useful in selecting optimal biological control strains. Assistance will be provided for the training of African scientists in order to improve the capacity of the target nations to contribute improvements to biological control. Field and laboratory experience will be used to troubleshoot problems associated with adapting biological control to the target areas.