Accepted Article This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as doi: 10.1111/lam.12667 This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Received Date : 30-Sep-2015 Accepted Date : 02-Sep-2016 Article type : Original Article Characterization of Aspergillus section Nigri species populations in vineyard soil using droplet digital PCR Jeffrey D. Palumbo# 1 , Teresa L. O’Keeffe 1 and Matthew W. Fidelibus 2 1 Foodborne Toxin Detection and Prevention Research Unit, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Albany, CA, USA 2 University of California, Kearney Agricultural Research & Extension Center, Parlier, CA, USA Running Title: ddPCR of black Aspergillus species #Corresponding Author: Jeffrey D. Palumbo USDA, ARS 800 Buchanan St Albany, CA 94710 USA jeffrey.palumbo@ars.usda.gov