Flowering phenology and potential pollen emission of three Artemisia species in relation to airborne pollen data in Poznań (Western Poland)

Abstract

Artemisia pollen is an important allergen in Europe. In Poznań (Western Poland), three Artemisia species, A. vulgaris, A. campestris and A. absinthium, are widely distributed. However, the contributions of these species to the total airborne pollen are unknown. The aim of the study was to determine the flowering phenology and pollen production of the three abovementioned species and to construct a model of potential Artemisia pollen emission in the study area. Phenological observations were conducted in 2012 at six sites in Poznań using a BBCH phenological scale. Pollen production was estimated by counting the pollen grains per flower and recalculating the totals per inflorescence, plant and population in the study area. Airborne pollen concentrations were obtained using a Hirst-type volumetric trap located in the study area. Artemisia vulgaris began to flower the earliest, followed by A. absinthium and then A. campestris. The flowering of A. vulgaris corresponded to the first peak in the airborne pollen level, and the flowering of A. campestris coincided with the second pollen peak. The highest amounts of pollen per single plant were produced by A. vulgaris and A. absinthium. A. campestris produced considerably less pollen, however, due to its common occurrence, it contributed markedly (30 %) to the summation of total of recorded pollen. A. vulgaris is the most important pollen source in Poznań, but the roles of two other Artemisia species cannot be ignored. In particular, A. campestris should be considered as an important pollen contributor and likely might be one of the main causes of allergic reactions during late summer.

Keywords: Aeroallergen; Artemisia absinthium; Artemisia campestris; Artemisia vulgaris; Pollen production.

Fig. 1

Study area and the transect locations. Forests (irregular dark grey), buildings (regular dark grey), agricultural fields and wastelands (grey and light grey). Basemap: © OpenStreetMap (and) contributors, CC-BY-SA

Fig. 2

Temporal variation in flowering phenology of Artemisia vulgaris, A. absinthium and A. campestris (horizontal bars), airborne Artemisia pollen concentration, daily sum of rain and daily average air temperature patterns in 2012. Mean was the statistics used to present the onset dates of particular phenophases (see Table 1). The day with the highest number of individuals in full flowering is marked by arrow (A A. vulgaris, B A. absinthium, C A. campestris)

Fig. 3

Pollen production of Artemisia species in Poznań estimated per flower (a), inflorescence (b), plant (c) and species in the study area (d). Statistical significance was examined by K–W ANOVA and Newman–Keuls post hoc test

Fig. 4

Relative pollen contribution to the pollen curve by three Artemisia species (a); normalized relationship between potential pollen emission of three Artemisia spp. and pollen concentration in the air (3-day moving average) (b)