PALYNOLOGICAL AND TAXONOMIC STUDIES OF ALLERGY CAUSING AND OTHER GRASSES OF ISLAMABAD

Abstract

Specially during the last decade, pollen allergy diseases afe on the increase as reported by the medical practitioners and the media in Islamabad. It was felt that scientific in vestigation in this direction should be conducted to find out which particular grass pollens in Islamabad are responsible for allergy. This study was carried Ollt in collaboration with National Institute of Health . A palynological and taxonomical study of 54 species belonging to 37 genera of the fami ly Gramineae from Islamabad was conducted. Pollen morphology was studied with light microscope and scanning electron microscope from slides prepared with Erdtman 1943 (modified by personal communication with Dr. Syed Zahoor Husain) method and by mounting dry pollens on the metal stubs with cellotape on it respectively. Light microscopy reveals that the pollens of grasses studied are spheroidal, ovoidal or ellipsoidal, monoporate, ectoporlls, some pollens are endoporus smooth (psilate) or granul ate, rarely reticulate. Scanning electron microscopy of grass pollens reveals variation in exine surface, involving presence or absence of granules wi th different variation s. The observations show some taxonomic correlations at generic level. It may be said that the differentiating characters of the pollen grains of the grasses have to do with relat ively slight and inconstant differences in their shape and size, the shape and size of the aperture and its operculum and the texture of their exine. It is only in relatively few cases where such characters can be used for specific or even generic identification with any degree of certainty. On the basis of exine ornamentation and wall patterns the pollen of grasses have been divided into two new groups and two sub groups. 20 grasses of Islamabad are reported to be allergenic and the pollen samples are presented to National Institute of Health for allergy tests on patients. This is the first such study in Islamabad.