RESEARCH PAPER
Time linkages between pollination onsets of different taxa in Perugia, Central Italy – an update
 
More details
Hide details
1
Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Italy
 
 
Corresponding author
Sofia Ghitarrini   

Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Italy
 
 
Ann Agric Environ Med. 2016;23(1):92-96
 
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Introduction and objective:
In the last decades, increasing attention has been paid to pollinosis. Numerous studies have been carried out concerning the pollination timing of allergenic plant species and the possibility to forecast its beginning and intensity using several statistical methods and models. This study proposes a simple and fast method to identify in advance the time lapse in which the pollination of some allergenic taxa should start.

Material and Methods:
The times of pollination of 14 taxa were recorded in the area of Perugia (Central Italy) by means of a 7-volumetric Hirst-Type pollen trap. For a 30-year period (1984–2013), annual starting dates were calculated for each taxa, using the 5% method (Lejoly-Gabriel). The time linkages between these starting dates were then estimated, considering them in pairs and calculating linear regression coefficients.

Results:
For the significantly linked species, forecasting models were obtained by means of linear regression analysis. To apply these models to the ongoing pollen season, pollination beginning of the earlier species has to be calculated using a sum-based method. From this date, through the obtained equations, it is possible to predict the approximate period in which the pollination of the second linked taxa should start.

Conclusions:
The possibility to predict the start of the pollen season of these taxa could be of great importance from the allergological point of view. In fact, an early or delayed flowering can have considerable effects in the prophylaxis programming and efficacy.

 
REFERENCES (28)
1.
Corsico R, Falagiani P, Ariano R, Berra D, Biale C, Bonifazi F, et al. An epidemiological survey on the allergological importance of some emerging pollens in Italy. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol. 2000; 10(3): 155–161.
 
2.
Asero R. Analysis of new respiratory allergies in patients monosensitized to airborne allergens in the area north of Milan. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol. 2004; 14(3): 208–213.
 
3.
Eder W, Ege MJ, von Mutius E. The ashtma epidemic. N Engl J Med. 2006; 355: 2226–2235.
 
4.
D’Amato G, Cecchi L, Bonini S, Nunes C, Annesi-Maesano I, Behrendt H, et al. Allergic pollen and pollen allergy in Europe. Allergy. 2007; 62: 976–990.
 
5.
Hofmaier S. Allergic airway diseases in childhood: an update. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2014 (Epub ahead of print); DOI: 10.1111/pai.12322.
 
6.
Scadding GK, Durham SR, Mirkian R, Jones NS, Leech SC, Farooque S, et al. BSACI guidelines for the management of allergic and non-allergic rhinitis. Clin Exp Allergy. 2008; 38(1): 19–42.
 
7.
Rodríguez-Rajo FJ, Valencia-Barrera RM, Vega-Maray AM, Suárez FJ, Fernández-González D, Jato V. Prediction of airborne Alnus pollen concentration by using ARIMA models. Ann Agric Environ Med. 2006; 13(1): 25–32.
 
8.
Kasprzyk I. Forecasting the start of Quercus pollen season using several methods – the evaluation of their efficiency. Int J Biometeorol. 2009; 53: 345–353.
 
9.
Siniscalco C, Caramiello R, Migliavacca M, Busetto L, Mercalli L, Colombo R, et al. Models to predict the start of the airborne pollen season. Int J Biometeorol. 2014 (Epub ahead of print); DOI: 10.1007/s00484–014–0901-x.
 
10.
Oteros J, García-Mozo H, Hervás C, Galán C. Biometeorological and auto regressive indices for predicting olive pollen intensity. Int J Biometeorol. 2013; 57(2): 307–316.
 
11.
Myszkowska D. Predicting tree pollen season start dates using thermal conditions. Aerobiologia. 2014; 30(3): 307–321.
 
12.
Pauling A, Regula G, Bernard C. Toward optimized temperature sum parameterizations for forecasting the start of the pollen season. Aerobiologia. 2014; 30(1): 45–57.
 
13.
Frenguelli G, Bricchi E. The use of pheno-climatic model for forecasting the pollination of some arboreal taxa. Aerobiologia. 1998; 14:39–44.
 
14.
García Mozo H, Galán C, Gomez Casero MT, Dominguez Vilches E. A comparative study of different temperature accumulation methods for predicting the start of Quercus pollen season in Córdoba (South West Spain) Grana. 2000; 39: 194–199.
 
15.
Galán C, García Mozo H, Vásquez L, Ruiz L, Díaz de la Guardia C, Trigo MM. Heat requirement for the onset of the Olea europaea L. pollen season in several sites in Andalusia and the effect of the expected future climate change. Int J Biometeorol. 2005; 49: 184–188.
 
16.
Fuertes- Rodríguez CR, Ganzález-Parrado Z, Vega-Maray AM, Valencia-Barrera RM, Fernández-González D. Effect of air temperature on forecasting the start of Cupressaceae pollen type in Ponferrada (León, Spain). Ann Agric Environ Med. 2007; 14(2):237–42.
 
17.
Zhang Y, Bielory L, Cai T, Mi Z, Georgopoulos P. Predicting onset and duration of airborne allergenic pollen in the United States. Atmos Environ. 2015; 103:297–306.
 
18.
Frenguelli G, Bricchi E, Romano B, Mincigrucci G, Spieksma FThM. A predictive study on the pollen season for Graminaceae and Olea europaea L. Aerobiologia. 1989; 5(1): 62–70.
 
19.
Frenguelli G, Bricchi E, Romano B, Mincigrucci F, Fornaciari M, Goretti G. Pollen forecast for some taxa in central Italy. Proceedings of the International Symposium on pollinosis in the Mediterranean Area; Mar 16–18 1989; Naples, Italy. p. 148.
 
20.
Frenguelli G, Spieksma FThM, Bricchi E, Romano B, Mincigrucci F, Nikkels AH et al. The influence of air temperature on the starting dates of the pollen season of Alnus and Populus. Grana. 1991; 30:196–200.
 
21.
Frenguelli G, Ghitarrini S, Tedeschini E. Possible relation between climate change and pollination of grasses in central Italy. Proceedings of the 10 th International Congress of Aerobiology; Sep 22–26 2014; Sydney, Australia.
 
22.
Bricchi E, Frenguelli G, Mincigrucci G, Fornaciari M, Ferranti F, Romano B. Time linkages between pollination onsets of different taxa over an 11-year period in Perugia, Central Italy. Aerobiologia. 1995; 11: 57–61.
 
23.
Hirst JM. An automatic volumetric spore trap. Ann Appl Biol. 1952; 39:257–265.
 
24.
Conrad V, Pollak LW. Method in climatology. 2 nd Edition. Harvard university press, Cabridge, Massachussetts. 1950.
 
25.
Lejoly-Gabriel M. Recherches écologiquessur la pluie pollinique en Belgique. Acta Geogr. Lovaniensia, Vol.13. Institut de géographie, Université catholique de Louvain, 1978.
 
26.
Frenguelli G, Bricchi E, Romano B, Mincigrucci G, Ferranti F, Antognozzi E. The role of air temperature in determining dormancy release and flowering in Corylus avellana L. Aerobiologia. 1992; 8: 415–418.
 
27.
Driessen MNBM, van Herpen RMA, Moelands RPM, Spieksma FThM. Prediction of the start of the grass pollen season for the western part of Netherlands. Grana. 1989; 28:37–44.
 
28.
Driessen MNBM, van Herpen RMA, Smithuis LOMJ. Prediction of the start of the grass pollen season for the southern part of the Netherlands. Grana. 1990; 29: 79–86.
 
eISSN:1898-2263
ISSN:1232-1966
Journals System - logo
Scroll to top