AspergillusandPenicilliumspecies and their mycotoxins, including aflatoxins, ochratoxins, fumonisins and patulin, are frequently encountered on cereal products. The occurrence of these species and their mycotoxins on maize was investigated in Hungary after harvest in two consecutive years. Surface-sterilized cereal seeds were placed on selective media, and the isolated fungal strains were identified using morphological methods. In 2010 and 2011, 81.94% and 14.33%, respectively, of the samples were found to be contaminated with potentially toxigenic isolates. The species identification of selected isolates was carried out using sequence-based methods. SeveralAspergillus flavusisolates were identified, which are potential aflatoxin producers. Other mycotoxinproducing species were also isolated, including blackAspergilli, which potentially produce ochratoxins and fumonisins, andA. clavatus, which produces patulin. In 2010 a large number ofPenicilliumspecies occurred in the samples, producing a wide range of mycotoxins. The mycotoxin content of the samples was analysed using the ELISA and HPLC techniques. Aflatoxins were not detected in any of the samples, while ochratoxins and fumonisins were successfully identified in some of the maize seeds.

We present an experiment done on a bar + wheat line treated with 14 different concentrations of glufosinate ammonium—an effective component of nonselective herbicides—during seed germination in a closed experimental system. Yield components as number of spikes per plant, number of grains per spike, thousand kernel weight, and yield per plant were thoroughly analysed and statistically evaluated after harvesting. We found that a concentration of glufosinate ammonium 5000 times the lethal dose was not enough to inhibit the germination of transgenic plants expressing the bar gene. Extremely high concentrations of glufosinate ammonium caused a bushy phenotype, significantly lower numbers of grains per spike, and thousand kernel weights. Concerning the productivity, we observed that concentrations of glufosinate ammonium 64 times the lethal dose did not lead to yield depression. Our results draw attention to the possibilities implied in the transgenic approaches.