Fungi as the cause of yellowing and other discolorations of rice grains

Initial results showed that inoculated paddy had a high percentage of chalky kernels. Yellowing was observed in milled rice from paddy inoculated with Fusarium sp. and Aspergillus flavus Link ex Fr. Paddy inoculated with Rhizopus sp. had kernels that exhibited a light yellowish brown color. Black kernels were observed in milled rice from paddy inoculated with Curvularia sp., Aspergillus terreus Thom, and A. ochraceus Wilhelm. The yellowing obtained in this study was less intense compared to the previous on-farm studies. This would possibly be due to the lower temperature attained and the less complex microbial interactions in the present study. The data indicate that the fungal species mentioned can cause or accelerate discoloration in paddy and milled rice.