Relationship between flowering phenology, pollen production and atmospheric pollen concentration of Plantago lanceolata (L.)

The present study sampled pollen grains in the atmosphere using a Burkard® 7-day-recording trap and periodically checked the flowering phases of Plantago lanceolata L. in the locality of Leon (NW of Spain) from late March to early August during 2007 and 2008. The results showed that the phenological phases considered for P. lanceolata coincided in most sampling points. The differences between them depended mainly on the characteristics of the land on which the plants developed and water availability. In addition, the differences between the start and duration of the different phenological phases over the 2 years were mainly due to climatic variations each year. Plantago pollen concentration in the atmosphere and phenological data were related during these 2 years of study. The differences in Plantago pollen production per anther were determined by environmental conditions such as humidity. Another important factor was human action.