Effect of the Mediterranean crops in the airborne pollen spectrum

Abstract

The impact of pollen grains as an allergenic factor is an important object of study. Various statistical analyses have been used to describe the behaviour of anemophilous plants, including certain Mediterranean cultivars (Olea europaea, Vitis vinifera, etc.). The main aims of this study are to define the pollen spectrum within an agricultural area and the effects of meteorological parameters and to examine whether Spearman’s correlation and ReDundancy Analysis (RDA) provide similar information. Aerobiological sampling was conducted using a Hirst-type volumetric spore trap from January 2015 to August 2018 in the Montilla mountains, in the south of the province of Cordoba, in an agricultural area close to a small city. In this location, the effect of ornamental plants is reduced and the cultivar effect becomes more important. Taking into account the average percentage for all years, the most abundant pollen types were Olea, Quercus, Poaceae, Urticaceae, Urtica membranacea, Vitis, Plantago, Pinus and Amaranthaceae. Due to the climatic characteristics of the study area, the meteorological parameters with most influence were temperature and dew point. The pollen spectrum in the study zone is caused by the agricultural use of the land, increasing the concentrations of some allergenic pollen types and decreasing the diversity of airborne pollen types. The RDA analysis gives a better explanation of the complex relationship between meteorological parameters and airborne pollen release and dispersion compared with the Spearman’s correlation.