Airborne and soilborne microfungi in the vicinity Hamitabat Thermic Power Plant in Kirklareli City (Turkey), their seasonal distributions and relations with climatological factors

Abstract

Soil and air samples of seven different localities around Hamitabat Thermic Power Plant, 10 km far away from Luleburgaz/Kirklareli (Turkey), were taken between the years 2003 and 2004 with seasonal intervals. The samples were brought to the laboratory and their microfungal identifications were done. From the air samples, 737 microfungi colonies were isolated comprising 26 species belonging to eight genera. From soil samples, 170.6 x 10(4) colony-forming unit (CFU)/g was isolated from 33 species belonging to 16 genera. The most isolated genus from air samples was Alternaria (324 CFU, 43.96%), followed by Cladosporium (208 CFU, 25.52%) and Phoma (44 CFU, 5.40%). Penicillium was the most isolated genus from the soil samples with a value of 560,000 CFU/g (32.8%), followed by Fusarium (226,000 CFU/g, 13.12%) and Aspergillus (154,000 CFU/g, 9.03%). Among these species, Alternaria citri and Alternaria alternata are the most abundant species in air with 164 and 107 CFU, respectively, whereas Fusarium graminearum and Penicillium citrinum are the most abundant species in soil with CFU per gram values of 17.8 x 10(4) and 1.3 x 10(5). Correlation analysis was applied to determine whether or not there was a relationship between colony number of isolated fungal genera and meteorological factors. Some parameters of soil samples' incontent during the research period were calculated using a computer analysis program. From the air samples, a positive correlation was found between relative humidity and Alternaria colonial counts and Cladosporium spore counts (r = 0.912 and r = 1.000, respectively). Similarly, with the analysis of soil samples, a positive correlation between colonial counts of Alternaria and soil pH and a positive correlation between colonial counts of Aspergillus and Penicillium and salt percentage concentration of soil were found.