Mark A. Diekman Purdue University

Publish Date: June 3, 2006

Plants and animals may serve as excellent hosts for many fungi. Spores from fungi (molds) are primarily spread by water and air and come into contact with plants in the field or with grain in storage facilities. Factors that influence the degree of fungal infestation in grain are moisture, temperature and availability of oxygen. Other factors such as insect population, physical condition of grain or susceptibility of certain grain hybrids will also influence whether fungal proliferation will occur under a given set of environmental conditions.