Aeropalynological Study of Kinmen Island, Taiwan

Hay-fever and allergic rhinitis have been a serious problem in Kinmen, an island close to mainland China. To elucidate the relationship of pollen and spores to such a problem, an aeropalynological study was conducted during 2003 in Kinmen. In Kinmen’s Kin-Hu City, a Burkard seven-day volumetric pollen trap was installed on the roof of a house, about 10 m above the ground, to collect airborne pollen samples. Over a study period of one year, a total of 50,278 pollen grains and fern spores, belonging to 51 taxa of 39 families were identified. Among them, 33 families were angiosperms, two families gymnosperms, and four families ferns. Twelve taxa produced a higher percentage of airborne pollen in this survey. They are Casuarina (27.5%), Morus (15.2%), Fraxinus (12.3%), Pinus (11.3%), Dicranopteris (7.0%), Celtis (5.0%), Juniperus (4.2%), Ambrosia (4.0%), Gramineae (2.8%), Liquidambar (1.3%), Podocarpus (1.1%), and Artemisia (0.5%). The highest concentrations of airborne pollen were detected over the period from mid February to mid June. The dominant pollen species varied with seasons, with Morus, Juniperus and Liquidambar dominating in February and the beginning of March, Pinus in February and March, Celtis in March, Casuarina in April, May, June, and August, Podocarpus from the end of April to the beginning of May, Fraxinus in June, Dicranopteris in June and July, Ambrosia in August, Artemisia in October, and Gramineae in November. Throughout the study time, arboreal pollen (79.9%) was more abundant than non-arboreal pollen (8.5%) and fern spore (8.1%). Ragweed pollen, the allergenic one, reached its maximum in the atmosphere in August and showed a peak of diurnal periodicity at 7:00-9:00 am. As a result of this study, a pollen calendar for Kinmen was established to illustrate the seasonal variations in the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of airborne pollen and spores. The data of the present study provide a basis for further pollinosis studies in Kinmen.