DETECTION OF ERGOLINE ALKALOIDS IN ENDOPHYTE-INFECTED TALL FESCUE BY IMMUNOASSAY

Previously, a monoclonal antibody was developed to the lysergic ring common to ergoline alkaloids (EA). The objectives were to develop an immunoassay for EA in tall fescue by determining (i) time requirement; (ii) tissue mass, and (iii) optimum volume of extraction solution necessary for detection protocols with repeatable results; and (iv) the acceptability of oven- versus freeze-dried samples. A competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was conducted on plant extracts (0-548 mug kg-1 ergovaline). Regressions of ELISA and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) data gave good fits (R2 greater-than-or-equal-to 0,87, MSE less-than-or-equal-to 0.03). Using 0.10 g (+/-0.01 g) of oven-dried tissue, and extraction for 15 min in a 1:40 dilution, we analyze 200 samples daily.