ORIGINAL ARTICLES AAEM Ann Agric Environ Med 2000, 7, 5–10 ANALYSIS OF AIRBORNE POLLEN FALL IN BALIKESIR, TURKEY, 1996-1997 Adem Bicakci1, Hanife Akyalcin2 18OXGD÷8QLYHUVLW\)DFXOW\RI6FLHQFH'HSDUWPHQWRI%LRORJ\*|UNOH%XUVD7XUNH\ 2Balikesir University, Faculty of Education, Department of Biology, Balikesir, Turkey Bicakci A, Akyalcin H: Analysis of airborne pollen fall in Balikesir, Turkey, 1996- 1997. Ann Agric Environ Med 2000, 7, 5–10. Abstract: In this study, pollen grains were identified by use of Durham sampler in the atmosphere of Balikesir in 1996 and 1997. During these two years, a total of 17,256 pollen grains per cm2 were recorded. A total of 8,576 pollen grains per cm2 were identified in 1996 and a total of 8,680 pollen grains per cm2 in 1997. Pollen fall in the years 1996- 1997 comprised grains belonging to 50 taxa and unidentified pollen grains. Of these 50 taxa, 30 belonged to arboreal and 20 to non-arboreal plants. Total pollen grains consisted of 70.92% grains from arboreal plants, 24.87% grains from non-arboreal plants and 4.21% unidentified pollen grains. In the region investigated, Pinus spp., Cupressaceae/Taxaceae, Gramineae, Platanus spp., Quercus spp., Olea spp., Salix spp., Urticaceae, Moraceae, Plantago spp., Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae, Ailanthus spp., Juglans spp., Carpinus spp. and Rosaceae released the greatest amounts of pollens. During the study period, the pollen fall reached its highest level in May. Address for correspondence: 'U$GHP%LFDNFL8OXGD÷8QLYHUVLW\ Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Görükle, 16059 Bursa, Turkey. E-mail: abicakci@uludag.edu.tr Key words: Turkey, Balikesir, pollen, pollen calendar. INTRODUCTION Vegetation north of the city is composed of large-leafed woods: Quercus robur L., Q. petraea (Mattusehka) Liebl., Pollen grains cause respiratory system diseases such as Fagus orientalis Lipsky, Castanea sativa Miller., Carpinus allergic asthma and hay fever (pollinosis). These diseases betulus L., Tilia tomontosa. In other regions, the most appear mainly during the flowering periods of plants. common trees and shrubs are: Pinus brutia Ten., Quercus Determinations of type and falls of pollen grains are infectoria Oliver., Q. cerris L., Pinus nigra Arn., Paliurus helpful for patients suffering from allergic diseases. For spina-cristi Miller., Ligustrum vulgare L., Cedrus libani this reason, annual pollen calendars have been prepared in A. Richard, Cupressus sempervirens L. In this rural area, many countries [6, 8, 15, 17, 19]. the major weeds and grasses are Leguminosae, Compositae, The aim of this study was to determine pollen grains Gramineae, Labiatae. On the plain near the metropolitan and changes in pollen fall per cm2 weekly, monthly and district grow olives, vegetables and orchards (citrus fruits, annually. The results of this study are expected to be figs, vineyards, apples, quinces). The soil there is suitable useful for allergists in establishing a right diagnosis. for sunflower, cotton, tobacco, etc. In addition to the natural vegetation around Balikesir, MATERIALS AND METHODS the following species are frequently seen in the parks, gardens and streets of the town: Pinus nigra, Pinus brutia, Balikesir is situated at 39° 04' N, 26° 02' E in north- Pinus pinea L., Cedrus libani, Platanus orientalis L., western Turkey at an altitude of 100–150 m above sea Ligustrum vulgare, Catalpa bignonoides Walt., Buxus level. Balikesir has a Mediterranean, Irano-Turanion sempervirens L., Populus spp., Acacia spp., Fraxinus vegetation and generally a Mediterranean climate. spp., Acer spp., Aesculus spp., Eleagnus angustifolia L., Received: 10 December 1999 Accepted: 4 May 2000 6 Bicakci A, Akyalcin H Juglans spp., Salix spp., Tilia spp., Forsythia spp., Cercis Table 1. Annual totals of weekly pollen counts. spp., Berberis spp., Nerium oleander L., and Cornus spp. 1996 1997 Total % In this study, gravimetric method and Durham sampler Arboreal (AP) were used. The Durham sampler was placed on the roof Pinus 1,565 2,410 3,975 23.04 of the office building at a height of 25 m above ground Cupress./Taxa. 1,553 1,161 2,714 15.73 level. Slides placed in the Durham sampler were changed Platanus 465 794 1,259 7.30 weekly. Quercus 560 608 1,168 6.77 Before exposure, the slides were coated with glycerine Olea 371 114 485 2.81 jelly mixed with basic-fuchsin [4]. The slides were examined Salix 203 182 385 2.23 weekly by light microscope. The numbers of pollen grains Moraceae 152 149 301 1.74 found in the cover-glass area were converted to pollen Ailanthus 110 106 216 1.25 counts. Juglans 80 117 197 1.14 Carpinus 108 82 190 1.10 RESULTS Rosaceae 86 96 182 1.05 Ericaceae 57 59 116 0.67 A total of 17,256 pollen grains from 50 taxa, 8,576 in Ostrya 80 34 114 0.66 1996 and 8,680 in 1997, have been identified in the Sophora 59 52 111 0.64 atmosphere of Balikesir during these two years. Out of 50 Castanea 70 37 107 0.62 taxa, 30 were arboreal while the others were non-arboreal Alnus 38 64 102 0.59 plants. A total of 12,238 pollen grains have been found to Fagus 43 52 95 0.55 be arboreal (70.92%), 4,291 as non-arboreal (24.87%) and Fraxinus 63 26 89 0.52 727 as unidentified (4.21%) (Tab. 1). Populus 17 41 58 0.34 The main pollen producers in the atmosphere of Corylus 33 19 52 0.30 Balikesir were the following arboreal plants: Pinus spp., Pistacia 32 15 47 0.27 Cupressaceae/Taxaceae, Platanus spp., Quercus spp., Robinia 28 14 42 0.24 Olea spp., Salix spp., Moraceae, Ailanthus spp., Juglans Ulmus 27 15 42 0.24 spp., Carpinus spp. and Rosaceae. They form 64.16% of Ligustrum 39 2 41 0.24 the total pollen fall (Tab. 1). From herbaceous plants, Cedrus 31 2 33 0.19 Gramineae, Urticaceae, Plantago spp., Compositae, Oleaceae 11 20 31 0.18 Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae and Rumex spp. were Aesculus 13 17 30 0.17 found frequently in the atmosphere of Balikesir making Acer 13 15 28 0.16 Tilia 23 1 24 0.14 up 21.82% of the total. Sambucus 4 - 4 0.02 Monthly variations of total pollen grains recorded in Total AP 5,934 6,304 12,238 70.92 the atmosphere of Balikesir during the years 1996–1997 Non-arboreal (NAP) are shown in Figure 1. The seasonal variation of arboreal and non-arboreal pollen fall is given in Figure 2. Gramineae 1,196 1,249 2,445 14.17 Urticaceae 184 159 343 1.99 The earliest pollen grains in the atmosphere of Balikesir Plantago 170 122 292 1.69 were noted in January (Fig. 1). The main arboreal pollen Compositae 190 80 270 1.56 grains were observed in this month. In January, low falls Cheno./Amarant. 137 129 266 1.54 were recorded for Cupressaceae/Taxaceae (0.06%), Rumex 84 66 150 0.87 Corylus spp. (0.04%), Ulmus spp. (0.03%) and Alnus spp. Typha 45 69 114 0.66 (0.02%) (Tab. 2). Pollen grain falls began to increase in Xanthium 19 53 72 0.42 February, March and April, and reached their maximum Umbelliferae 50 17 67 0.39 levels in May (56.6%). Pinus spp. (16.2%), Gramineae Cyperaceae 34 24 58 0.34 (7.32%), Platanus spp. (6.06%), Quercus spp. (5.61%), Artemisia 16 37 53 0.31 Cupressaceae/Taxaceae (3.59%), Salix spp. (2.03%), Taraxacum 19 24 43 0.25 Moraceae (1.45%), Urticaceae (1.3%), Plantago spp. Helianthus 18 17 35 0.20 (1.25%), Olea spp. (1.2%), Juglans spp. (1.08%), Centaurea 10 14 24 0.14 Rosaceae (0.9%), Carpinus spp. (0.83%), Rumex spp. Juncaceae 6 8 14 0.08 (0.61%) and Compositae (0.59%) were releasing high Labiatae 10 4 14 0.08 amounts of pollen into the atmosphere throughout their Leguminosae 11 - 11 0.06 pollination period, and formed more than 50% of the total Rubiaceae 3 7 10 0.06 pollen grains in May (Tab. 2). The numbers of pollen Cruciferae 1 8 9 0.05 grains were also high in June. From July, the pollen Caryophyllaceae 1 - 1 0.01 grains of weeds became dominant, but the amount of Total NAP 2,204 2,087 4,291 24.87 pollens was lower than in springtime. This decrease was Unidentified 438 289 727 4.21 correlated with the end of the pollination periods of many Total 8,576 8,680 17,256 arboreal plants which produced and released high amounts % 49.70 50.30 100.00 Pollen fall in Balikesir, Turkey 7 6000 4000 3500 5000 3000 4000 2500 3000 2000 1500 2000 1996 1000 A P 1997 N A P 1000 500 0 0 I II III IV V V I V II V III IX X X I X II I II III IV V V I V II V III IX X X I X II Figure 1. Total monthly variation in the amount of atmospheric pollen, Figure 2. Monthly variation of arboreal (AP) and non-arboreal (NAP) Balikesir, 1996–1997. pollen grains, Balikesir, 1996-1997. of pollen grains into the atmosphere (Fig. 1–2). In July, The types of pollens present in the atmosphere of Gramineae, Pinus spp., Olea spp., Ailanthus spp., Balikesir are shown in the form of a pollen calendar (Fig. 3), Castanea spp. were recorded as dominant taxa (Tab. 2). based on the counts made in 1996–1997. The following In August there prevailed Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae, taxa produced the greatest amounts of pollens in the Gramineae, Compositae, Xanthium spp., Cupressaceae/ atmosphere of Balikesir: Taxaceae; in September - Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae, Pinus spp. The pollen season started in the third week Gramineae, Xanthium spp., Compositae, Artemisia spp.; of March (12th week of the year) and ended in the second and in October - Cedrus spp., Gramineae, Chenopodiaceae/ week of August (33rd week). The highest values were Amaranthaceae, Ericaceae, Xanthium spp. In November, noted in the second week of May (19th week). only arboreal pollen types such as Cedrus spp., were Cupressaceae/Taxaceae. Pollen grains of these families recorded; and in December Cupressaceae/Taxaceae, Corylus were recorded all year round. The highest counts were spp. and Ulmus spp. recorded in the last week of March (13th week). Table 2. Maximal airborne pollen falls in subsequent months and their yearly composition (%), Balikesir, Turkey. Taxa Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec. Pinus - - 0.06 4.49 16.2 1.75 0.5 0.03 - - - - Cupress./Taxaceae 0.06 2.89 3.54 4.65 3.59 0.12 0.04 0.22 0.01 0.01 0.02 0.58 Platanus - - - 1.22 6.06 0.02 - - - - - - Quercus - - - 1.15 5.61 0.01 - - - - - - Olea - - - - 1.2 1.6 0.01 - - - - - Salix - - 0.02 0.18 2.03 - - - - - - - Moraceae - - 0.03 0.26 1.45 - - - - - - - Ailanthus - - - - 0.28 0.94 0.03 - - - - - Juglans - - - 0.06 1.08 - - - - - - - Carpinus - - - 0.27 0.83 - - - - - - - Rosaceae - - - 0.15 0.9 - - - - - - - Gramineae - 0.02 0.09 0.65 7.32 3.76 1.46 0.61 0.18 0.08 - - Urticaceae - - - 0.15 1.3 0.28 0.14 0.12 - - - - Plantago - - - 0.06 1.25 0.19 0.16 0.03 - - - - Compositae - - 0.02 0.05 0.59 0.25 0.24 0.34 0.07 - - - Cheno./Amaranthaceae - - - - 0.04 0.1 0.32 0.81 0.21 0.06 - - Rumex - - - 0.12 0.61 0.12 0.01 0.01 - - - - Total 0.06 2.91 3.76 13.5 50.4 9.14 2.91 2.17 0.47 0.15 0.02 0.58 Others 0.1 0.84 1.03 0.64 3.88 1.04 0.95 0.84 0.23 0.17 0.03 0.06 Unidentified - 0.02 0.02 0.8 2.4 0.7 0.27 - - - - - Total 0.16 3.77 4.81 14.90 56.63 10.88 4.13 3.01 0.70 0.32 0.05 0.64 Po llen g ra ins/cm 2 Po llen g ra ins/cm 2 8 Bicakci A, Akyalcin H Pollen fall in Balikesir, Turkey 9 Gramineae. Pollen grains were recorded during the DISCUSSION greater part of the year, from February to October. The highest counts were recorded in the last week of May In the atmosphere of Balikesir, arboreal pollen types (22nd week). The Gramineae family was the only were dominant; this is due to the character of vegetation herbaceous taxon dispersing high amount of pollen into and geographical location of the town. According to other the atmosphere. studies carried out in Europe, arboreal pollen types are Platanus spp. The pollen season was relatively short. It also dominant in Finland (82%) [13], Ankara, Turkey started in the first week of April (14th week) and ended in  >@2VWURZLHFZL WRNU]\VNL3RODQG  >@ the first week of June (23rd week). The highest counts Perugia, Italy (71%) [16], Bursa, Turkey (70.01%) [1] and were recorded in the first and second weeks of May. Ascoli Piceno, Italy (55%) [16]. Quercus spp. Pollen production was continued from the Some important allergenic pollens such as Pinus, second week of April (15th week) to the first week of Platanus, Gramineae, Urticaceae and Plantago [2, 3, 5, 7, June (23rd week). The highest counts were recorded in 9, 14] were also found in high concentrations in Balikesir. the first and second weeks of May (18–19th week). In Europe, the dominant airborne species have been Olea spp. The pollen season started in the second week determined to be Gramineae, Alnus, Artemisia, Urtica, of May and ended in the first week of July (27th week). Betula in Leiden, the Netherlands [11, 18]; Gramineae, The peak value was noted in the last week of May and in Urticaceae, Oleaceae, Artemisia in Ascoli Piceno, Italy the first and second weeks of June. [16]; Betula, Pinus, Alnus, Platanus, Plantago in Salix spp. Pollen production was continued from the Brussels, Belgium [11, 18]; Cupressaceae, Gramineae, third week of March (12th week) to the last week of May Quercus, Plantago in Montpellier, France [18]; Pinaceae, (22nd week). The highest counts were recorded in the first Alnus, Betula, Quercus, Gramineae, Artemisia in Jyvaskylan, week of May (18th week). Finland [13]; Alnus, Betula, Gramineae, Corylus in Urticaceae. Pollen production was continued from the 2VWURZLHFZL WRNU]\VNL 3RODQG >@Betula, Quercus, third week of April to the last week of August. The Gramineae, Urticaceae in Vienna, Austria [11]. The highest counts were recorded in the second and third airborne pollen types mentioned above are responsible for weeks of May. many cases of pollinosis in Europe. Moraceae. The pollen season started in the third week of March and ended in the fourth week of May (21st CONCLUSION week). The peak value was noted in the first and second weeks of May. Pollen grains of 50 taxa were determined during the Plantago spp. The pollen season started in the second pollen season in the atmosphere of Balikesir, of which 17 week of April and ended in the last week of August (35th taxa formed about 85.98% of the total spectrum. In the week). The highest value was noted in the fourth week of region investigated, pollen grains were recorded all year May. round and reached their maximum levels in May. The Compositae. Pollen production was continued from the pollen calendar for the region presented in this paper may second week of April to the third week of October. The be useful for allergologists to establish an exact diagnosis. highest counts were recorded in the third week of May (20th week) and in the first week of June (22nd week). REFERENCES Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae. 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