Occurrence of fungi in air and on plants in vegetation of different climatic regions in Croatia

Abstract

Research was carried out onthe presence and variation in occurrence offungal genera in air and on plant samplescollected from three different climatic regionsin Croatia in relation to temperature andrelative humidity throughout one year (1998).The sampling method employed in this study wasexposure of 150 Sabouraud agar plates withantibiotics to the air for 10 min. and byplacing 10 pieces of each plant sample (N = 150)on same agar. The spores belonging to 15 fungalgenera and sterile mycelim were identified.Cladosporium (65.3–74%),Penicillium (4.43–13.9%), Alternaria(2–4.7%), and sterile mycelium (7.4–15%) werethe most prevalent fungi in the air of all threeclimatic regions, while Fusarium(20.3–36.2%) was the most prevalent fungalgenera on plant samples especially in the modestcontinental climate. Significant differenceswere obtained for comparative fungalcontamination of air and plant samples, and bycomparing monthly occurrence in all three partsincluded. The climate factors and presence ofvegetation that produce essential oils withfungicide activity may be the reason for reducedfungal contamination of outdoor environments inthe Mediterranean climate.