Pollen calendar of malaga (Southern Spain), 1991–1995

A pollen calendar has been constructed for Malaga (Southern Spain) based on the data obtained during 5 years (1991–95) using a Burkard spore trap set up approximately 1 km west of the city. The calendar only reflects taxa which showed a 10-day mean pollen concentration equal to or greater than 1 grain of pollen/m³ of air. Twenty nine taxa are included, of which the three commonest (Olea europaea, Cupressaceae andQuercus) represent approximately 54% of the total annual count and the following four (Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae, Gramineae, Urticaceae andPlantago) represent 21.3%. The greatest diversity of pollen types occurs during Spring and the highest concentrations from February to June, when approximately 85% of the total annual pollen is registered. Several peaks occur during the year principally due to Cupressaceae in February,Quercus in April,Olea europaea in May andCasuarina in October, although substantial quantities of Urticaceae, Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae,Plantago and Gramineae are also detected in April and May. The pollination of important allergy-producing taxa such as olive and grass takes place earlier in Malaga than in cities more inland, so that the data presented here may be useful in predicting the beginning of the pollination season of these localities.     

Pollen calendar for Vigo, North-West Spain (1995)

This is the first data from a pollen survey in Vigo, an Atlantic city in northwest Spain. The pollen calendar for Vigo is presented, as well as the pollination period for the nine most important allergenic plants. Through 1995, 30 083 pollen grains belonging to 52 taxa, were recorded using the Lanzoni VPPS 2000 volumetric spore-trap. The most relevant taxa found were: Urticaceae,Pinus, Poaceae andQuercus (75% of the total pollen),Betula, Castanea, Cupressaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Ericaceae, Myrtaceae,Olea, Plantago, Platanus andRumex (21%), and the final 4% was distributed mainly among pollen types, such as:Corylus, Alnus, Fabaceae, Compositae,Artemisia andCedrus. Of the total annual pollen count, 56% was found in March and April. Another, secondary peak was recorded in June corresponding to the flowering period of herbaceous species. The high pollen total of Urticaceae (7625 grains, 25% of the total) should be highlighted. The percentages ofOlea europaea (565 grains) should be noted as well, taking into account its geographical distribution.     

Analysis of airborne pollen fall in Sakarya, Turkey

In this study, pollen grains were identified using Durham sampler in the atmosphere of Sakarya in 2000 and 2001. During these two years, a total of 10 805 pollen grains were recorded. A total of 5 386 pollen grains per cm² were recorded in 2000 and a total of 5 419 pollen grains per cm² in 2001. Pollen fall in the years 2000–2001 comprised grains belonging to 40 taxa and some unidentified pollen grains. Of these taxa, 22 belonged to arboreal and 18 taxa to non arboreal plants. Total pollen grains consisted of 69.45% grains from arboreal plants, 28.11% grains from non-arboreal plants and 2.44% unidentified pollen grains. In the region investigated, Gramineae, Pinus sp., Quercus sp., Cupressaceae/Taxaceae, Salix sp., Platanus sp., Populus sp., Carpinus sp., Fagus sp., Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae, Xanthium sp., Moraceae, Corylus sp., Fraxinus sp., and Urticaceae released the greatest amount of pollen. The season of maximum pollen fall was from March to May, with a prevalence of arboreal pollen in the first months, and of pollen from non-arboreal plants in the last months of the year.     

Transport of airborne pollen into the city of Thessaloniki: the effects of wind direction, speed and persistence

We examined the effect of the wind vector analyzed into its three components (direction, speed and persistence), on the circulation of pollen from different plant taxa prominent in the Thessaloniki area for a 4-year period (1996–1999). These plant taxa were Ambrosia spp., Artemisia spp., Chenopodiaceae, Corylus spp., Cupressaceae, Olea europaea, Pinaceae, Platanus spp., Poaceae, Populus spp., Quercus spp., and Urticaceae. Airborne pollen of Cupressaceae, Urticaceae, Quercus spp. and O. europaea make up approximately 70% of the total average annual pollen counts. The set of data that we worked with represented days without precipitation and time intervals during which winds blew from the same direction for at least 4 consecutive hours. We did this in order to study the effect of the different wind components independently of precipitation, and to avoid secondary effects produced by pollen resuspension phenomena. Factorial regression analysis among the summed bi-hourly pollen counts for each taxon and the values of wind speed and persistence per wind direction gave significant results in 22 cases (combinations of plant taxa and wind directions). The pollen concentrations of all taxa correlated significantly with at least one of the three wind components. In seven out of the 22 taxon-wind direction combinations, the pollen counts correlated positively with wind persistence, whereas this was the case for only two of the taxon-wind speed combinations. In seven cases, pollen counts correlated with the interaction effect of wind speed and persistence. This shows the importance of wind persistence in pollen transport, particularly when weak winds prevail for a considerable part of the year, as is the case for Thessaloniki. Medium/long-distance pollen transport was evidenced for Olea (NW, SW directions), Corylus (NW, SW), Poaceae (SW) and Populus (NW).     

Airborne pollen grain concentrations at two different heights

The present study describes the airborne pollen grain concentrations at two different heights (1.5 m and 15 m, respectively). The survey was carried out in 1991 and 1992, using two Burkard spore-traps, both set up at the University of Córdoba, Faculty of Sciences. Generally, and for all herbaceous plants, pollen detection started and ended around the same date on both samplers. However, in the case ofOlea europaea, the pollen was detected in advance by the sampler located at 1.5 m compared with the one located at 15 m, probably due to the fact that olives growing close to the low sampler flower before the great olive plantations located some 60 km south of the city. No significant differences between the counts of both samplers have been observed, except in the case of Urticaceae, where the sampler situated on top of the building recorded higher pollen concentrations in both years. Similar annual peaks of Urticaceae are probably due to the buoyancy of their small, light grains and the explosive pollination mechanism which liberates pollen grains from the anthers of the Urticaceae family, includingUrtica andParietaria.     

Gramineae hay fever,and aerobiological and clinical investigation in Palermo; Sicily

Summary Epidemiological and aerobiological observations (1987;1989) have been carried out for three years in order to search the existing relationship between the Gramineae's daily pollen concentration in Palermo's atmosphere and the number of hay fever cases due to such pollen.The aerobiological data were obtained with a 2000 VPPS volumetric sampler. Clinical research was performed on 555 hay fever patients treated in our ambulatory over a three-year period (1987–1989).These data, elaborated by a seven day running mean method and correlated with epidemiological data, evidenced that three of the pollen families in our territory are clinically important: Urticaceae,Parietaria prevailing among them, Gramineae and Oleaceae,Olea europaea prevailing among them.The Gramineae are the second most important allergenic pollen (32,08% of all the pollinosis) whereas, as far as its concentration in the atmosphere is concerned; it ranks third followingParietaria and Oleaceae.     

Aeropalynologic analysis of La Plata City (Argentina) during a 3-year period

A continuous aeropalynologic survey of the atmosphere of La Plata was carried out between July 1998 and June 2001 in order to study flowering development from winter to summer using a Lanzoni volumetric spore trap. The total pollen spectrum was represented by 79 pollen types. Between 10 and 12 pollen types showed a relative concentration of more than 1% of the annual total. Airborne pollen was mainly represented by Platanus, Fraxinus, Cupressaceae, Poaceae, Urticaceae, Cyperaceae, Myrtaceae, Celtis, Casuarina and Morus during the 3-year period. Acer and Ambrosia pollen types were only dominant in the first 2 years. Maximum absolute concentrations were recorded in the the July 1998–June 1999 period, and the minimum concentrations were recorded in the July 2000–June 2001 period. The contribution of the arboreal pollen grains was higher than 68% relative to the annual total for each year. Two periods of maximum pollen emissions were found for each year: pollen from aboreal taxa predominated from July to October, and pollen from herbaceous taxa predominated from November to March. There was very little pollen in the atmosphere between April and June. The maximum arboreal and herbaceous pollen emissions were recorded during hours of daylight: at 10:00 and 14:00 hours.     

Theoretical daily variation patterns of airborne pollen in the southwest of spain

In this work we establish theoretical daily pollen variation grains for the 24 taxa most frequently occurring in the atmosphere of Córdoba (Spain) during three consecutive years, namely Alnus glutinosa, Broussonetia papyrifera, Casuarina equisetifolia, Chenopodiaceae, Amaranthaceae, Cupressaceae, Cyperaceae, Ericaceae, Fraxinus, Gramineae, Mercurialis, Morus, Myrtaceae, Olea europaea, Palmae, Pinaceae, Pistacia, Plantago, Platanus hybrida, Populus, Quercus, Rumex, Typha domingensis, Ulmus minor and Urticaceae. Sampling was carried out using a Burkard spore-trap and the data collected were used to establish theoretical patterns of daily variation represented by an ideal day with accounts for the daily behaviour of each taxon.

The application of centred-data analysis (CDA) allowed two groups of taxa to be established, namely (a) those with a homogeneous variation pattern and small differences between the times of maximum and minimum occurrence, and (b) those with a heterogeneous variation pattern arising from large differences between maxima and minima or from a rather erratic variation.

As a rule, maximum pollen concentrations were found to coincide with the times of maximum sunlight and temperature.     

Aeropalynological spectrum of Hatay,Turkey, the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea

An aeropalynological study during the years 2014–2015 was performed in Hatay, which is a unique sociocultural and phytogeographical area located on the border of Turkey and Syria on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean. The sampling was performed by a Hirst-type volumetric sampler (Lanzoni VPPS 2000), and pollen grains of 54 taxa were identified, of which 83.21% of the annual sum belonged to woody taxa. The highest pollen concentration was recorded in February, of which a large amount came from the Cupressaceae/Taxaceae families. The diversity of the pollen reflected the vegetation of the area and plantations of the city center, but pollen grains from Euro-Siberian elements specific to Mount Amanos could not be recorded. Pollen types found at more than 3% of the annual pollen index and considered dominant pollen types were as follows: Cupressaceae/Taxaceae (50.86%), Olea europaea (12.67%), Moraceae (7.20%), Poaceae (5.99%), Quercus (5.35%), Urticaceae (3.79%) and Pinus (3.70%); almost all dominant pollen types in the city atmosphere were previously stated to be allergic. The main pollen season starting dates of common pollen types found were one or two weeks earlier than those of the surroundings. Many statistically significant correlations were found between daily pollen concentrations and daily meteorological parameters, e.g., Cupressaceae/Taxaceae Poaceae and Urticaceae pollen correlated negatively with mean temperature in both years, and in the hindermost two families daily pollen amounts significantly correlated with wind speed in the second year. Daily Olea europaea pollen concentration showed a significant negative correlation with the amount of total daily rainfall in the second year.     

Pollen from tree and shrub taxa in the atmosphere of Caxias do Sul (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil)

An aerobiological study has been carried out in the region of Caxias do Sul in southern Brazil. Pollen monitoring was performed from January 1, 2001 through to December 31, 2002. A total of 30,469 pollen grains were collected during this period, and 40 pollen types were identified; of these, 23,389 pollen grains, representing 29 pollen types, originated from tree and shrub taxa. The maximum pollen concentration was registered in August 2001 and October 2002. In the study area, the pollen type Mimosa scabrella (18.8%) was much more abundant than all of the pollen types from tree and shrub taxa, such as: Urticaceae (18.4%), Myrtaceae (10.2%), Cupressaceae (7.7%), Myrsine (4.8%), Sorocea (3.9%), Pinaceae (2.9%), Asteraceae (2.2%) and Ricinus (2.1%). These nine pollen types accounted for the largest pollen concentrations of all the tree and shrub taxa. The pollen types Carya, Melastomataceae, Mimosa scabrella, Myrsine and Sorocea are reported for the first time in an aerobiological study in Brazil.     

Seasonal variation in vegetation and pollen collected by honeybees in Thessaloniki,Greece

Pollen is important for the nutrition of honeybees and it is necessary for their survival and reproduction. In this study, we collected daily the pollen pellets from four colonies and also recorded the plants in flower in the area around the apiary, over a two‐year period. Field records revealed the presence of 204 species with Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Rosaceae being the most specious families. Although honey bees collected more than 140 pollen types, the main pollen sources (>60% of the total weight) came from less than ten taxa. The most important pollen types with respect to total weight were Sisymbrium irio, Papaver rhoeas, Verbascum sp., Polygonum aviculare, Zea mays and Olea europaea. The use of pollen traps proved a more accurate method to record the type and the foraging period during which the honeybees collect pollen, compared to field observations.     

Airborne Pollen Grains of Burdur, Turkey

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Airborne Pollen Grains of Burdur, Turkey

The pollen grains in the atmosphere of Burdur have been studied for a two-year period (1996 through 1997) with a Durham sampler. A total of 11881 pollen grains belonging to 39 taxa have been identified and recorded with some unidentified ones. Of them, 5726 were identified in 1996 and 6155 in 1997. Of the total pollen grains, 76.51% were arboreal, 21.62% non-arboreal and 1.87% unidentified. The majority of the investigated pollen grains were from Pinus L., Cupressaceae, Gramineae, Quercus L., Platanus L., Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae, Salix L., Cedrus L., Compositae, Juglans L. and Urticaceae respectively. The highest level of pollen concentration was in May.     

Pollen concentrations in central Italy (Ascoli Piceno and Perugia)

Summary Air-borne pollen grains were collected using Hirst volumetric spore traps in both Ascoli Piceno and Perugia during the March–November 1983 period. Similar types of pollens were recorded in both towns. In Perugia, higher total amounts of Cupressaceae/Taxaceae pollens were recorded in March and of Quercus, Gramineae, Urticaceae and Oleaceae in May–June. However, the pollen concentration in the Ascoli Piceno atmosphere was higher in the August–October period owing to the pollen of the ?summer weeds?.

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Riassunto I granuli di polline aerodiffusi sono stati campionati con trappole volumetriche tipo Hirst sia in Ascoli Piceno che in Perugia durante il periodo marzo–novembre 1983. In entrambe le città sono stati rilevati tipi di polline simili. In Perugia sono state registrate concentrazioni di polline in atmosfera più elevate rispetto ad Ascoli Piceno in marzo per la pollinazione di Cupressaceae/Taxaceae e in maggio–giugno per la pollinazione di Quercus, Gramineae, Urticaceae e Oleaceae. In Ascoli Piceno, invece, la concentrazione di polline in atmosfera è state più elevata di Perugia nel periodo agosto–ottobre per la pollinazione delle ?erbe estive?.

     

First report of airborne pollen in Santa Rosa,La Pampa,Argentina: a 2-year survey

The aim of this study was to determine the qualitative and quantitative composition of the airborne pollen of Santa Rosa city, La Pampa (Argentina), and to analyse the seasonal behaviour of the pollen types that have the highest representation in the atmosphere. The city, with temperate climate, is located in a cultivated area that corresponds phytogeographically to a xerophytic forest limiting with grasslands. The pollen sampling was performed using a Hirst-type volumetric spore trap located in the urban centre of the city, 15 m above ground level, from July 2007–June 2009. The annual pollen index was 51,647 pollen grains. The airborne pollen consisted of 73 pollen types, 42 of woody origin represented 66 % of the total and with winter-spring seasonality and 31 were of herbaceous origin, which represented 30 % of the total and with spring-summer seasonality. The composition of the woody airborne pollen reflected the formation of urban vegetation, consisting mainly of exotic taxa from tree species used in urban tree alignment. The most abundant types were as follows: Cupressaceae, Fraxinus, Ulmus, Olea europaea, Styphnolobium japonicum, Myrtaceae, Pinaceae, Platanus, Celtis- Morus and Populus. Native components such as Condalia microphylla were also found, indicating the ‘Espinal’ phytogeographical province that was typical of the area. The most abundant herbaceous airborne pollen types, in descending order, were as follows: Poaceae, Amaranthus-Chenopodiaceae, Urticaceae, Brassicaceae and Asteraceae. The emission sources of these pollen types were weeds that grew spontaneously in parks, waste grounds and flower beds of the city.     

A 10-year survey of allergenic airborne pollen in the city of Porto (Portugal)

Airborne pollen calendars are useful to estimate the flowering season of the different plants as well as to indicate the allergenic potential present in the atmosphere at a given time. In this study, it is presented a 10-year survey of the atmospheric concentration of allergenic pollen types. Airborne pollen was performed, from 2003 to 2012, using a 7-day Hirst-type volumetric trap. The interannual variation of the daily mean concentration of the number of pollen grains and the main pollen season was determined as well as the hourly variations and correlation with meteorological parameters. During the study period, 18 different allergenic pollen types were considered based on its representativeness on the total annual airborne pollen concentration. The lowest annual concentrations were sampled in 2006 and the highest in 2007. The highest airborne pollen concentration was found during early spring and early summer. On the contrary, December was the month with the lowest pollen concentration. The major pollen sampled belongs to trees followed by weeds and grasses, being the most representative pollen types in the atmosphere: Urticaceae, Platanus, Poaceae, Pinaceae, Cupressaceae, Acer, Quercus, Castanea, Plantago, Alnus, Olea europaea, Betula, Myrtaceae and Populus. Intradiurnal distribution patterns of the pollen types studied presented differences with some taxa being predominantly sampled in the morning (9–11 a.m.) while others in first night hours (between 9 and 12 p.m.). Significantly correlations were found between the airborne pollen concentration and meteorological parameters.     

Airborne pollen concentration in Seville (Spain), 1993–1996. First results obtained with Hirst’s method

The data presented constitute the longest historical series of results obtained in Seville with a Hirst-type sampler, and are a further contribution to earlier aerobiological studies carried out in the city with a Cour trap. This work supplies an updated pollen calendar of the city, together with pollen counts and other aerobiological parameters for the 14 most important types in the 4-year period of sampling. These werePlatanus hispanica, Olea europaea, Quercus, Cupressaceae, Poaceae, Urticaceae, Moraceae, Chenopodiaceae/ Amaranthaceae,Plantago, Pinaceae,Rumex, Myrtaceae, Compositae, andCasuarina.     

Effects of environmental factors on pollen production in anemophilous woody species

The aim of this study was to estimate the amount of pollen produced by anemophilous woody taxa with allergenic properties and with considerable contribution in the concentration of pollen in the air of a Mediterranean city (Thessaloniki, Greece). The taxa selected are Corylus avellana, Cupressus sempervirens var. horizontalis and var. pyramidalis, Olea europaea and Platanus orientalis; each was studied in more than one sampling stations differing in elevation, direction or both. O. europaea produced the highest number of pollen grains per flower (1.3 × 10⁵ ± 0.1 × 10⁵) and P. orientalis the highest per inflorescence (3.3 × 10⁶ ± 0.2 × 10⁶). At the level of crown, pollen grains produced were of the order of 10⁹ per surface/volume unit for O. europaea and the two C. sempervirens varieties; for the other two taxa, they were of the order of 10⁶. Pollen production was lower at higher elevation and northern direction and depended on the size of the floral unit sampled (flower for O. europaea, inflorescence for all other species): the bigger the floral unit, the more pollen it contained. Our results and reports from other areas, where C. sempervirens and O. europaea grow, show that these two Mediterranean species produce comparable amounts of pollen at the levels of inflorescence or flower, respectively, wherever they occur.     

Airborne pollen in the El-Hadjar town (Algeria NE)

The diversity of airborne pollen grains in El-Hadjar town (northeast Algeria) was measured for 1 year, from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013, by means of the gravimetric method using Durham apparatus. The total number of pollen grains/cm² was calculated from slides that were changed daily. This aerobiological study documented the air concentration of pollen from 50 taxa, where 28 belonged to arboreal and 22 to non-arboreal taxa. The percentage of pollen from arboreal and non-arboreal taxa was 56 and 44 %, respectively. From the list, the major collected taxa causing allergy in humans dominant in the Mediterranean area were Cupressaceae (14.86 %), Olea sp. (7.18 %), Casuarina sp. (6.44 %), and Fraxinus sp. (3.83 %) among arboreal plants, whereas for the non-arboreal plants Poaceae (23.20 %), Mercurialis sp. (12.58 %), Plantago sp. (1.69 %), Urticaceae (0.95 %), and Chenopodiaceae (0.85 %). The highest pollen counts occurred in the period from February to April. The pollen calendar for the region presented in this paper may be a useful tool for allergologists and botanical awareness.     

Air pollen dispersal in a tropical area

Volumetric data on airborne pollen have been gathered for two consecutive years at a neotropical location (Caracas). Among the 65 taxa which were identified, pollen from aCupressus species (introduced) and from aCecropia species (indigenous) were dominant. Less numerous but also abundant (daily averages ≥5 grains/m³ air) were pollen from Gramineae, Urticaceae,Alcalypha, Pinus, Piperaceae andMimosa. Pollen grains were recorded daily throughout the year. They increased in numbers during April–May and again during November–December. The first peak was contributed mainly by indigenous species, the second peak mainly by introduced species.