Bol. Soc. Argent. Bot. 56 (3) 2021
intRoduction
mateRials and methods
Forecasting airborne pollen concentrations Study area
is undeniable of high importance to biological,
Sunchalesisanagricultureandindustrialcitylocated
environmental, and ultimately medical practice in the core area of Argentine agricultural production.
(
Aznarte et al., 2007). The presence and amount According to the records of the National Institute
of airborne pollen depend on a wide range of Statistics and Censuses, its population is 21,304
of factors that can be grouped into physical, inhabitants. From the phytogeographic standpoint, the
concerning meteorology (wind, rain, air city of Sunchales is located in the Espinal province
humidity, and temperature) and biological, (Lewis & Collantes, 1973; Cabrera, 1976; Morello et
which depends on plant distribution, stand al. 2012), where the predominant natural physiognomy
maturity, phenological, physiological, and should resemble a xerophytic leguminous forest with
phytosanitary conditions among others. As there a stratum of grasses, interspersed with large Savanna
is no standardized modeling approach, many or Park areas. According to Oyarzábal et al. (2018),
authors tried to generate models of different the location corresponds to the Algarrobal unit:
nature (eg. Arizmendi et al., 1993; Hjelmroos, “Sclerophyll forest with Prosopis nigra and Prosopis
1
&
992; Kawashima & Takahashi, 1999; Levetin alba”. However, agricultural-livestock activity
Van de Water, 2003; Voukantsis et al., 2013; produced a significant modification of the landscape,
Fernández-Rodríguez et al., 2016; Damialis et where natural vegetation has been relegated to small
al., 2017 and many others), whose application patches in abandoned fields or along rural roads. As
has provided variable results. Pollen forecasting a result, the present physiognomy corresponds to
is a hard problem to be solved not only because a Savanna where the dominant woody species are:
of the chaotic nature of the airborne pollen Geoffroea decorticans (Gill. ex Hook. &Arn.) Burkart,
concentration intended as a time series of Vachellia caven (Molina) Seigler & Ebinger, and
infinite length (Bianchi et al., 1992), nor by the Parkinsonia aculeata L., accompanied by different
high quantity of variables involved, but to the herbs and ruderal species. The most widespread
complexity of space and time scales in which these economic activity is agriculture, mostly dedicated to
variables operate on the system. Moreover, these dairy, where large plots are destined for feeding cattle
variables may have synergistic or antagonistic with extensive cultivation of Medicago sativa L. and
effects depending on the timing of their temporal grasses. In the urban area, the floristic composition
variability. Topography, as well as natural and includes numerous exotic tree species grown as
anthropogenic barriers, add new difficulties to be ornamentals along the streets, in public parks and in
solved. This has meant that the common answer private gardens. The most abundant species are Morus
to the challenge of forecasting airborne pollen sp., Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) Vent., Maclura
concentrations is to build pollen calendars, pomífera (Raf.) C.K. Schneid., Bauhinia variegata
however, more robust solutions require knowing L., Platanus × hispanica Mill. ex Münchh., Fraxinus
specific site-dependent interactions between excelsior L., Cupressus sempervirens L., and C.
biological and physical variables at different macrocarpa Hartw. ex Gord. Some other species like
time and space scales. A two-year survey of Populus deltoides W. Bartram ex Marshall, P. alba L.,
the atmospheric pollen content in the city of and P. nigra L. are planted as windbreaks in the city
Sunchales (Santa Fe, Argentina), allowed a first outskirts.
characterization of the aeroflora, determining
According to the updated Köppen-Geiger
the incidence and prevalence of the pollen classification (Kottek et al., 2006), the climate is Cfa
content, and to estimate the allergenicity of the type: warm temperate with average annual temperature
pollen types present in the local air (Pérez et al., and precipitation of 18.5 °C and 928 mm respectively.
2
020a). In this paper, we address the preliminary July is the driest and coldest month (24 mm, 12 °C),
analysis of the relationship between airborne while the highest rainfall is recorded in March (147
pollen variability of the main pollen types, mm), and the maximum temperature in January (25.1
with meteorological parameters at seasonal and °C) (Argentine National Weather Service Climatology
intraseasonal timescales for the place.
for the period 1999-2000).
270