Effect of harvesting operations on fungal spore populations of air.

Agricultural practices such as harvesting of crops cause the pathogens to disseminate in abundance and may cause diseases, like skin and respiratory allergies in an epidemic form. Also the farm workers were likely to be exposed repeatedly to high doses of fungal spore allergens from crop harvesting operations. At Srikakulam, located in North Coastal Andhra Pradesh, India, the major crops grown include rice and sugarcane. As part of a major study on the airspora of Srikakulam the effect of harvesting of these two crops on aerial spore concentrations was studied through rotorod trappings. The results showed an enormous increase in the spore load not only of the fungi pathogenic to the crop but also saprophytic fungi while the crop was harvested. The increase in the pathogenic fungal spores was large as evidenced by the increase of the rice crop pathogens as Trichoconis padwickii, Ustilaginoidea virens, Cochilobolus oryzae etc.