Isolation and Identification of Aspergillus Niger Associated with Rice Grain in Babylon Local Markets

Abstract

The current research involved the identification and diagnosis of contaminated fungi found in rice grains collected from various local markets in Hilla city, located in the Babylon Governorate of Iraq. A total of 121 fungal isolates were obtained from 90 rice grain samples and identified based on their cultural and morphological characteristics. Among the isolates, 31 were identified as Aspergillus niger, accounting for 25.61% of the total isolates and appearing in 34.44% of the samples. Aspergillus flavus comprised 12 isolates, representing 9.91% of the total isolates and appearing in 13.33% of the samples. A total of 7 isolates of A.terrus were identified, making up 5.78% of the isolates, while 11 isolates of Alternaria spp. accounted for 9.09% of the isolates.