Effect of sample handling and storage on ergovaline concentration in tall fescue samples

摘要

Ergo valine is an ergot alkaloid produced by an endophyte (Neotyphodium coenophialum Morgan-Jones and Gams), found in tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinacea=Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) and causes a range of disorders across livestock species. The concentration of ergovaline within a plant can vary by variety, management, time of year, location and weather conditions (Smith et al. 2009). Due to the significant economic i mpact of fescue toxicity in livestock, many samples are tested every year in research and diagnostic laboratories. Ergovaline is known to be unstable and affected by many variables; therefore sample handling is critical to obtaining accurate and consistent results. Currently, a number of laboratories in the United States can perform ergovaline analysis, but there is little information in the literature on how these results are affected by sample handling from the pasture to the laboratory or during storage of samples at the laboratory.