Survey of Mycotoxins Present in Florida Pastures Across Time, Locations, and Grass Species

Hui-Ling (Sunny) Liao , , Vijay Verma, Haihua Wang, , , Valerie Mendez Stansly, Ann Blount, Cheryl Mackowiak, Marcelo Wallau, Robbie Jones, , Ed Jennings, J. Yarborough, Doug Mayo, Ray Bodrey, and

Release Date: 3/16/2025

DOI: 10.32473/edis-ss744-2025

Agriculture

Abstract

The toxicity of grasses caused by mycotoxins has led to economic losses in the United States due to the health impact on livestock feeding on it. Florida's warm and humid weather is favorable for the growth of mycotoxin-producing fungi on grasses. The JECFA has provided evaluations and risk management for some high-risk mycotoxins; however, more research is needed in Florida to determine the maximum levels of these mycotoxins, how different environmental conditions affect these levels, and the specialized risk management to prevent animals from getting sick. Our Extension agents were able to collect and examine 195 grass samples from 13 ranchers across dry and wet seasons in Florida. In this publication, we summarized the results for our ranchers to learn more about (1) what (dominant) mycotoxins are generally present in Florida’s pastures, (2) what grass species could harbor more of these mycotoxins, and (3) what seasons or locations may favor these dominant mycotoxins.

About this Publication

This document is SL529, one of a series of the Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date March 2025. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu for the currently supported version of this publication. © 2025 UF/IFAS. This publication is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

How to Cite

Liao, H.-L., Zhang, K., Verma, V., Wang, H., Justesen, B., Walter, J., Mendez Stansly, V., Blount, A., Mackowiak, C., Wallau, M., Jones, R., Chen, K.-H., Jennings, E., Yarborough, J. K., Mayo, D., Bodrey, R., & Stam, A. (2025). Survey of Mycotoxins Present in Florida Pastures Across Time, Locations, and Grass Species. EDIS, 2025(2). https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-ss744-2025

Authors

Hui-Ling (Sunny) Liao

Contact

Specialist

University of Florida

associate professor, soil microbial ecology, Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center, Quincy, FL

View Hui-Ling (Sunny) Liao's Profile

Kaile Zhang

former postdoctoral associate, Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center

Vijay Verma

staff

University of Florida

agricultural/food scientist II, Ph.D., UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center, Quincy, FL

View Vijay Verma's Profile

Haihua Wang

postdoc

University of Florida

postdoctoral associate, UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center, Quincy, FL

View Haihua Wang's Profile

Brittany Justesen

former Extension agent II, B.S., livestock & forages, UF/IFAS Extension Osceola County

Joseph Walter

emeritus program county Extension agent III, M.S., livestock/crops, UF/IFAS Extension Brevard County

Valerie Mendez Stansly

County agent

University of Florida

Extension agent I, M.S., 4-H youth development, UF/IFAS Extension Leon County, Tallahassee, FL

View Valerie Mendez Stansly's Profile

Ann Blount

Specialist

University of Florida

professor emeritus and courtesy forage breeding & management Extension specialist, Department of Agronomy, UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center

View Ann Blount's Profile

Cheryl Mackowiak

Specialist

University of Florida

associate professor and Extension specialist, Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center

View Cheryl Mackowiak's Profile

Marcelo Wallau

Specialist

University of Florida

associate program leader for agriculture, UF/IFAS Extension, and forage Extension specialist and associate professor, UF/IFAS Department of Agronomy

View Marcelo Wallau's Profile

Robbie Jones

County agent

University of Florida

Extension agent III, M.A., agriculture and natural resources, UF/IFAS Extension Gadsden County, Quincy, FL

View Robbie Jones's Profile

Ko-Hsuan Chen

postdoctoral associate, UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center, Quincy, FL

assistant research fellow, Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taiwan

Ed Jennings

County agent

University of Florida

Extension agent IV emeritus, livestock, and former county Extension director, UF/IFAS Extension Levy County, Bronson, FL

View Ed Jennings's Profile

J. Yarborough

County agent

University of Florida

Extension agent II, M.S., agriculture/natural resources, UF/IFAS Extension Orange County, Orlando, FL

View J. Yarborough's Profile

Doug Mayo

County agent

University of Florida

Extension agent IV for livestock and 4-H, M.A., and county extension director, UF/IFAS Extension Jackson County, Marianna, FL

View Doug Mayo's Profile

Ray Bodrey

County agent

University of Florida

county Extension director and Extension agent III, M.S., agriculture and natural resources and Sea Grant, UF/IFAS Extension Gulf County, Wewahitchka, FL

View Ray Bodrey's Profile

Aaron Stam

Extension educator, UF/IFAS Extension Seminole Tribe of Florida, Brighton, FL

Publication #SL529