Baudilio Herrero

The role of meteorological factors in determining the annual variation ofAlternaria andCladosporium spores in the atmosphere of Palencia, 1990–1992

A study was made of the daily content ofAlternaria andCladosporium spores in the atmosphere in Palencia city (Spain) for three consecutive years 1990–1992.Alternaria andCladosporium represented 55% of the total identified spores, presenting an annual distributional pattern of which the maximum values were reached in summer. Multiple regression analyses showed a positive correlation between minimum temperature andCladosporium spore concentrations, while forAlternaria there was a positive correlation with maximum temperature and a negative correlation with precipitation. Duncans multiple range test among means ofAlternaria data indicated that winds coming from a northeasterly direction were associated with significantly higher concentrations the spores.

Effects of meteorological factors on the levels of Alternaria and Cladosporium spores in the atmosphere of Palencia, 1990–92

This study examines the daily levels of Alternaria and Cladosporium spores in the atmosphere in Palencia city (Spain) for three consecutive years 1990–92. Alternaria and Cladosporium represented 55% of all the identified spores. Their annual distributional pattern reached its maximum values in summer. Multiple regression analyses show that Cladosporium spore concentrations have a positive correlation with minimum temperature, whereas Alternaria spore concentrations have a positive correlation with maximum temperature. Alternaria spore concentrations were also negatively correlated with precipitation. Duncans multiple range test of Alternaria data show that winds blowing from a northeasterly direction were significantly related to higher levels of these spores.

Aerobiological study of fungal spores from Palencia (Spain)

A study of the concentration of fungal spores has been carried out in the atmosphere of Palencia town (NW Spain) during 1992. The volumetric method of filtration has been used. Half of the daily filter sample has been cultivated in Czapecdox-agar or Sabouraud-agar for the identification of fungal colonies, and the other half has been examined by optical microscopy. Several colonies belonging to 26 genera have been identified. Deuteromycetes (54%) and Zigomycetes (28%) are assembled in four genera, and Bacteria and Actynomycetes (18%) in three genera. The greatest concentrations occur forAspergillus (23%),Mucor (25%), followed byPenicillium (16%). The greatest diversity and abundance of fungal spores are found in September–December. The viable colonies are more abundant in Czapedox-agar culture, whereas Bacteria were more frequently found in Sabouraud medium.

Characterization of honeys by melissopalynology and statistical analysis

We analyzed pollen from 89 honey samples, collected in Leon and Palencia provinces (NW Spain). According to their pollen spectra, 46 were considered monofloral. The most abundant monofloral honeys were Erica types followed by Castanea, Centaurea, Reseda and Helianthus. One hundred and forty-two different pollen types were recorded, belonging to 47 families. Fifty-five of them reached percentages over 3% in at least one sample, while the other 87 types never exceeded 3% in any of the 89 samples. The families that were present in the highest number of samples were Fabaceae, Rosaceae, Cistaceae and Asteraceae. Plant families that had the highest percentages were Fabaceae, Ericaceae, Asteraceae, and Rosaceae. The pollen types that appeared in most samples were Rubus ulmifolius (73 samples), Cytisus scoparius (70) and Mentha aquatica (62); the pollen types that had the highest relative abundance were Erica arborea, Lotus corniculatus, Cytisus scoparius. The pollen types of the Ericaceae family, Jasione montana...

Pollen and organoleptic analysis of honeys in Leon province (Spain)

According to the pollen spectra recorded, most of them were monofloral (23) and 16 were multifloral. Erica honeys were the most abundant monofloral samples (9), Castanea sativa came next with 5; there were 3 samples of Helianthus annuus and 3 others of Lotus corniculatus and 1 of Rubus ulmifolius, Echium and Scrophularia canina pollen type respectively. The monofloral chestnuts honeys presented a minor pollen diversity. 108 pollen types were recorded, which belonged to 41 families. Fabaceae, Rosaceae and Ericaceae were the most represented families in the honeys studied. Cytisus scoparius and Rubus ulmifolius were the pollen types, which appeared in the highest number of samples. Certain pollen types such as Lavandula stoechas and Cistus ladanifer can be used as indicator or key elements in order to recognise the origin zone of honeys in the biogeographical Mediterranean region. As regards organoleptic analyses, most of our honeys (multiflorales, Erica, Rubus ulmifolius, Castanea sativa), samples are brown, not very sweet and present a homogeneous aspect, the other honeys have lighter colours, are sweeter and also have an homogeneous aspect (Helianthus annuus, Lotus corniculatus, Echium and Scrophularia canina -type).

Annual variation of airborne pollen in the city of Palencia, Spain, 1990–1992

The aim of this work is to present the atmospheric pollen concentrations of Palencia, Spain. Data were collected for three consecutive years (1990–92). An active volumetric pollen trap, type CAP2, was used. During this time, 88 different pollen types were identified, of which 27 occured at more than 0.15% of the total pollen recorded annually. These types formed the main pollen spectrum of this sampling station. Pollen coming from herbs (Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Plantago Urticaceae, etc.) was predominant (53.79%); arboreal pollen (Quercus, Populus Cupressaceae, etc.) represented 42.11%, and pollen from shrubs (Ericaceae, Sambucus etc.) only 4.10%. May and June was the time of the year with maximum pollen emission to the air. This was due to the quantities of pollen coming from Poaceae and Quercus which together represent 47.25% of the pollen recorded over the three‐year sampling period. Herbaceous pollen appeared throughout the year with maximum concentrations recorded in the spring, coinciding with the m...

Variation in morphological traits among Thymus mastichina (L.) L. populations

Thymus mastichina (L.) L. is an endemic species of the Iberian Peninsula and one of the most collected of wild plants in Spain. Despite the huge amount of possibilities for the use of T. mastichina subsp. mastichina as an industrial crop, cultivation is almost absent and no selection has been made. To identify the most useful and discriminating traits and to study the morphological variability of Spanish marjoram, a total of 16 populations were studied during 2011 and 2012 and 20 morphological traits (15 quantitative and 5 qualitative) were used for characterization. Analysis of variance, principal component analysis, correlations among traits and cluster analysis have been carried out for data processing. Intra and inter-population variability were highly statistically significant for all the quantitative traits, revealing the polymorphism of the species, although variability among populations was greater than variability within populations showing that populations are morphologically distinguished from each other. Number of flowers per flower head, number of flower heads per branch, length/width of the bract, and bract width were the most variable traits. The most valuable traits for characterization were related to the bract form and size, leaves and capitula. The ranges of morphological variation for the cultivated specimens compared with references to wild specimens in the bibliography, showed slightly larger sizes of leaves, bracts and inflorescences and smaller sizes of calyces and corollas. Cluster analysis classified the populations into four groups. Populations from group three (CLM4, TM23 and TM43) were highlighted by the biggest flower heads and they may be more productive for essential oil extraction.

Wild food plants gathered in the upper Pisuerga river basin, Palencia, Spain

Abstract This paper presents the results of an ethnobotanical study in the upper region of the Pisuerga River in Palencia, Spain. The study was carried out by conducting semi-structured interviews of 50 residents above the age of 52. The total number of use reports was 2,879; 839 refer to plants used in human food and 247 are related to plants used in animal feed. Forty-two wild species have been cited for human consumption: 45.2% of them are exploited for their fruit, 33.3% are eaten as vegetables, and 28.6% are used to produce liqueurs. Twenty wild species have been cited as animal feed, six of which are also used as food for human consumption and 90% as fodder or hay. Of the species, 20% are used for their fruit, whether fresh or dried. The species of the highest interest for human consumption in the region were Corylus avellana, Prunus spinosa, Fragaria vesca and Sorbus aria. The plants that were cited most often as animal feed are Asphodelus albus, Quercus petraea and Q, pyrenaica. Conopodium pyrenaeum, locally called ajuérjano in Spanish, a common name unique to the region (“pignut” in English), was cited by more than 50% of interviewees. Conopodium majus is consumed in nearby regions. Conclusion: Wild food plants gathered in the region are not the population’s main source of nutrients, but they are important resources that can be used to diversify recipes.

Agronomic parameters assessment in hydroponic tomato crop

In this study we present the results of a comparative analysis of nutrient solution (NS) recycling and non-recycling treatments in hydroponic tomato crop. The established aims are to evaluate water consumption, pH and conductivity variation along the productive cycle in both treatments, to establish the differences in fruit yield and to assess the viability of the recycling system. Watering times and drained nutrient solution volume were counted on a daily basis. Emitter and drained water samples from both treatments were analyzed once per week in the Agricultural Institute of Fraisoro (Gipuzkoa). Tomato samples were collected, weighed and measured three times per week once the harvest had started. There was an 8% reduction in water supply; irrigation excess was between 11-38% and water supply efficiency was 6.7% higher in the recycling treatment in comparison to the non-recycling treatment. Drainage pH values fluctuated from 3.9-7.6 and conductivity varied from 1.9-3.6 mS/cm. Average yield per plant was 7.17 kg/plant. No significant differences were found regarding fruit yield, except for the commercialized smaller size tomatoes (diameter 57-67 mm) whose production was 226% higher in the non-recycling area. Fruit yield was not increased by the recycling technique in hydroponic crop. Recycling treatment viability has to be measured in terms of water and fertilizers saving and minimization of polluting waste in drainage solutions.