Microscopic fungi of wheat grain in the Polissya zone
Authors: Ostrovskiy D. M. , Zotsenko V. M. , Gryshko V. A. 
Published: August 2023

The article presents the data on the quantitative and qualitative composition of micromycetes of wheat grain grown in the Polissya region. During the research period, an average of 2.88-104 ± 3.62-103 colony forming units (CFU) per 1 g of grain was found in wheat grain samples collected in the Polissya region. Twenty species of microscopic fungi belonging to 9 genera were isolated from the wheat grain of the Polissya zone. Among them were the genera Alternaria (92.5 %), Mucor (92.5 %), Aspergillus (83.0 %), Penicillium (47.2 %), Fusarium (60.4 %), Phoma (15,.1 %), Mycelia (15.1 %), Trichotecium (1.9 %) and Monascus (1.9 %) of the samples. Aspergillus niger (17.0 %), Aspergillus candidus (9.4 %), and Aspergillus terreus (1.9 %) were detected less frequently among Aspergillus. Fusarium spp. (17.0 %), Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium moniliforme, Fusarium semitectum in (5.7 %), and Fusarium culmorum (3.8 %) of the samples were identified among Fusarium. A smaller number of microscopic fungi species represents the endophytic mycobiota of wheat grain. Among the isolates of micromycetes isolated from the Polissya zone, pure cultures were obtained from F. sporotrichiella var. tricinctum isolate 1218/4, and F. sporotrichiella isolate 1218/5. These isolates were atoxic against the test culture Candida pseudotropicalis strain 44 PC, but F. sporotrichiella var. tricinctum 1218/4 produced a growth retardation zone with Rf 0.05 and produced an unidentified trichothecene mycotoxin (TTMT). Among the isolated fungi, Aspergillus flavus isolate 1219/3 and Aspergillus flavus isolate 1221/1 were the first to produce kojic and aspergillic acids and the second to synthesize penicillic and aspergillic acids. To reduce the negative effect of the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol on the body of chickens of the meat and egg breed Adler Silver, the birds were fed the sorbent “Mikosorb”. It was found that when added to the diet, the sorbent “Mikosorb” in the amount of 2.0 % of the total feed weight reduces the negative effect of deoxynivalenol on the body of chickens of the experimental group. This was confirmed by a 12.0 % reduction in bird mortality. Feeding “Microsorb” in the amount of 2.0 % by weight of complete feed contributed to an increase in the average daily weight gain of poultry during the experiment by 5.43 % compared to the experimental group that consumed feed with the toxin deoxynivalenol (DON). During the experiment, the birds of the experimental group No. 2 consumed 28.91 kg of feed more than group No. 2. Feeding the sorbent “Mikosorb” in the amount of 2.0 % of the feed weight to chickens of the meat and egg breed Adler silver contributes to an increase in gross weight gain by 9.69 kg during the experiment. The use of “Mikosorb” in the technology of feeding chickens of experimental group No. 2 contributed to an increase in the profitability of poultry production by up to 12.0 % compared to poultry that consumed feed affected by DON toxin. After analyzing the scientific results from the literature and our research results, we concluded that the abovementioned studies on wheat grain should be carried out throughout Ukraine during harvesting and storage in warehouses or storages.