A MYCOLOGICAL SURVEY ON FEED CEREALS KEPT IN STOCK OF THE CROPS OF 1994

50 samples of barley, 70 of wheat, 10 of triticale and 25 of oat kept in stock for feeding purposes of the crops of 1994 were examined within two months after harvesting. The average mould counts were not considered high because it remained under 10(4)/g except for oat seeds where heavier contamination was registered. The minor part (20 to 50%) of the propagules was found on the surface of kernels while the majority of them (50 to 80%) contaminated the pericarp or inner side of the seeds (Fig. 2), Investigation of the surface-desinfected grains (Fig. I) revealed the following average inner mould infection of kernels: barley 84.2%; wheat 82.0%; triticale 97.5%; oat 91.7%. High degree of contamination indicated the severe mould invasion of seeds before harvest in all regions of Hungary. Most frequently Alternaria species were detected (60 to 90.5%). The incidence of Fusarium contamination was higher only in case of oat (20%) while in other cereals it was moderate (3.5 to 7.0 %). (Characteristic data of the mycological contamination of feed cereals have been summarized in the Table.) Moulds found in seeds before storage diminish the initial microbiological quality of cereals because fungal cells and their metabolites get into the feedstuff. Since the mycotoxicological importance of Alternaria species has recently been detected, further investigations are needed to clarify the consequences of higher Alternaria contamination from the point of view of animal health and feeding.