Climate change and mycotoxins: Untangling a complex web
Mycotoxin risk is a dynamic issue for producers globally. With the predicted changes in climate, combined with the drive for more sustainable agriculture practices such as reduced tillage and decreases in chemical usage, this risk is set is to evolve even further.
BY NICHOLAS ADAMS, GLOBAL DIRECTOR, ALLTECH MYCOTOXIN MANAGEMENT W
ith average global temperatures set to increase, thoughts obviously turn to what impact this will have on the growth of mould and subsequent mycotoxin production.
However, the reality is far more complex, as is discussed in a variety of studies. Factors such as carbon dioxide concentration, drought stress and extreme weather events will all impact the delicate relationship between the mould, its plant host and its environment, including the pest species and plants that influence how moulds gain access to developing grains. The impact of climate change will not be consistent but, rather, will depend on local environmental conditions and the specific crops grown. These factors will establish important criteria such as planting, flowering and harvest dates that, along with agricultural practices, such as tillage, crop rotation and fungicide use, will determine the level of mould presence and mycotoxin production. Models are being developed to help predict potential outcomes. While many point toward increased risk from key mycotoxins, such as aflatoxin, deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisin, certain scenarios predict a reduction in mycotoxin risk.
Environmental sustainability: A new view on animal productivity? What does this mean? In recent years, several published me- ta-analyses have evaluated the effects of individual and mul- tiple mycotoxins on animal performance in species where sufficient data exists. These have shown that in pigs and poul- try, individual mycotoxins have varying degrees of impact on average daily gain through their ability to affect feed intake and feed efficiency, with the impact of multiple mycotoxins
10 ▶ MYCOTOXINS | NOVEMBER 2021
More extreme weather patterns are predicted to
affect the mycotoxin risk in crops and feed ingredients, with different impacts across different regions.
PHOTO: ALLTECH
being greater than individual toxins. Historically, we would view this predominantly as lost economic performance How- ever, it is now increasingly important to also view this through the lens of reduced environmental sustainability be- cause of the increased resource requirements, primarily feed, needed to achieve target slaughter weight. This is particularly relevant for monogastric species, where the contribution of feed to the overall carbon footprint of the system is signifi- cant. Mycotoxin presence has a net effect of increasing the carbon footprint of production by reducing feed efficiency and any additional impact on animal health.
The Green Deal and mycotoxins The recently launched Green Deal is the European Union’s plan to make the EU economy more sustainable, with a climate-neutral goal for 2050. Are mycotoxins a big deal within this? Pre-harvest management strategies — seed variety, tillage methods, crop rotation and pesticide usage are all known to affect the level of mycotoxin contamination in the next crop. Given plans within the Green Deal to increase carbon capture through more ecologically friendly tillage practices and reductions in chemical use, the number of pre- harvest management strategies that help to reduce the
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