   Coping with Pollen and Allergies - April 12, 2000 Jeff Schalau, County Director, Agent, Agriculture & Natural Resources Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County Have you been sneezing, had a runny nose, or itchy eyes lately? Those that suffer from these symptoms already know . . . the pollen is here. Windblown pollen from native and introduced plants is everywhere this time of year. To a certain extent, gardeners can alter the pollen environment in their own gardens to minimize suffering. However, living next to large expanses of open space or in the midst of a neighborhood filled with high pollen producing plants can make offensive pollen difficult to avoid. Lets look at some of these allergy offenders and discuss some strategies to cope with them. First of all, what is pollen? A single pollen grain is the male reproductive unit in seed producing plants. Pollen serves the same function in plant reproduction that sperm serves in animal reproduction. To begin the process of fertilization, a pollen grain is transported by wind, water, or animal (insects, birds, bats, etc.) to a receptive female flower part where they germinate, grow toward the ovule (egg), and combine genetic material (genes) to become the embryo within a seed. When the seed germinates, the embryo grows into a plant. Wind pollinated plants produce enough pollen to saturate their environment. This helps ensure a high probability of reproductive success. The native juniper trees of the Verde Valley and surrounding areas produce large quantities of pollen. These include One-seed Juniper (Juniperus monosperma), Utah Juniper (Juniperus osteosperma), and Alligator Juniper (Juniperus deppeana). Utah and One-seed junipers also hybridize. Junipers are dioecious. This means that individual trees produce individual male or female flowers. You may have noticed that some trees are filled with juniper berries, while others have none. Male flower production varies from year to year with environmental and physiological conditions. If you are an allergy sufferer, then you may want to pay close attention to juniper trees and their male flower production. You can either avoid them or, in extreme cases, remove them completely if they are on your property. Several introduced plants produce large quantities of pollen. The fruitless mulberry tree (Morus alba var. 'Fruitless') is widely planted due to its rapid growth and heat tolerance. This tree produces no fruit because it also is a male tree. Being a male, it does produce pollen. For this reason, fruitless mulberries have been prohibited in Clark County, Nevada since 1992. During spring, trees are the major pollen producers. Locally, ash (Fraxinus sp.), tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima), oak (Quercus sp.), elm (Ulmus sp.), European olive (Olea europa) and evergreens are all heavy pollen producers and vary by season of flowering. Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) is also a major summer pollen producer. Those little flower stalks that look like an upside down chicken foot are where it is produced. One cultural practice that minimizes pollen production in bermudagrass is keeping the turf well fertilized and watered. Excessive flowers are a sign of stress in bermudagrass. An even better solution is to replace seeded varieties of bermudagrass with a hybrid variety. Hybrids do not produce any pollen. How do researchers identify pollen offenders? Researchers or private consulting companies put out pollen traps and examine the results under a microscope. Pollen size and shape are very different across various species. The pollen is identified and results are even published in newspapers in many major cities. The National Allergy Bureau provides data for this purpose and it is accessible on the Internet http://www.aaaai.org/nab/pollen.stm. The closest data collection site to us is in Scottsdale. What can we do about pollen? Here are a few tips. When feasible, you can soak down the vegetation in your yard. This prevents the pollen from remaining airborne. Eliminate weeds in your yard. Ragweed is a classic example of an allergy offender. Replace heating and air conditioning filters often. These devices can cut down the pollen in the indoor environment. Wear a dust mask during peak pollen production periods. Were sunglasses or prescription glasses to protect eyes. Stay inside on windy days. Pray for rain. We can always use more of that. The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension has publications and information on planting and plant selection. Visit our web site at http://ag.arizona.edu/yavapai/. If you have other gardening questions, call the Master Gardener line in the Cottonwood office at 646-9113 or E-mail us at mgardener@kachina.net and be sure to include your address and phone number. |