Insect pests and fungal pathogens in maize stored in Ghana

Insect infestations and mycotoxin contamination contribute to postharvest degradation and crop loss in sub- Saharan Africa, including maize stored in Ghana. Surveys were conducted to assess the prevalence of insect pests and fungal pathogens in stored maize from the major and minor cropping seasons (September to December and January to April, respectively) that was stored on-farm and in retail markets in Ghana. Results show differences between the major and minor storage seasons for on-farm sites and retail markets. The presence of internal feeders such as Sitophilus zeamais (Motschulsky) was positivly correlated with insect-damaged kernels and percentage weight loss. Levels of aflatoxin were generally greater than the established threshold of 15 ppb early in the major crop storage season, while fumonisins were generally lower than threshold levels of 4.0 ppm in on-farm sites and in the retail markets.