Published in Scientific Papers. Series "Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and rural development", Vol. 21 ISSUE 1
Written by Tarek FOUDA, Amina ALBEBANY

Sclerotium of ergot is hard fungal body which contain toxic alkaloids to human and livestock. These alkaloids include ergotamine, ergovaline, ergocornine, ergocryptine, and ergocristine. Consumption of ergot can lead to human harmful health effects. These include constriction of blood flow to extremities, gangrene, hallucinations, muscle spasms and vomiting. Livestock fed ergot sclerotia can develop gangrene symptoms of ears, hooves and tails. The alkaloids can also cause abortions and reduce mammary gland development. The study was carried out through 2019 at the agriculture engineering department, faculty of agriculture Tanta University, Egypt. To prevent the harmful health effects in humans and livestock’s using separating methods which depend on physical properties and image analysis software for different varieties of wheat imported to Egypt which contaminated with ergot fungi sclerotia. The average dimensions of ergot fungi sclerotia were ranged according imported place the length ranged from 2.32 to 22.51 mm. width from 0.12 to 2.91 mm. thickness from 0.12 to 2.21 mm. volume from 0.0511 to 65.133 mm³, geometric mean diameter from 0.46 to 4.98 mm, the arithmetic mean diameter from 1.7 to 9.10 mm, and sphericity, from 7.9 to 55.6%. Also surface area ranged from 0.66 to 78.02mm². On the other hand, the average dimensions of the different varieties of Russian Ukrainian and French wheat were: length 5.24, 5.24, 5.17 mm, width 1.92, 1.92, 2.35 mm, thickness 162, 161, 186 mm, volume 8.81, 8.75, 12.1 mm³, arithmetic mean diameter 2.52, 2.52, 2.82 mm², geometric mean diameter 2.92, 2.92, 3.13 mm2, sphericity 48.2, 48.1, 57.8%, aspect ratio 36.7, 36.7, 45.9, and surface area 20.3, 20.2, 25.2 mm²respectively. These results revealed that the differences between the physical properties of wheat varieties and ergot sclerotia is not strong spicily for length, width and thickness this case led to obstructing separation processes.

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