Vinod Devarkar

Pollen Diversity of Osmanabad (India): an Inventory Vinod Devarkar

Osmanabad is the southernmost district Maharashtra State situated between 17° 35' and 18° 40' north latitude and 75° 16' and 76° 40' east longitude. Palynology is one of the most widely used research tools in Quaternary studies (Edwards 1983). As Osmanabad district having very less forest cover, researchers have shown little interest in botanical studies in this region. Very few workers like Naik (1979, 1998) worked on floristic studies, but nobody worked on pollen morphological studies for this region. In the last century, Brown (1958), Frisch (1953) and Hooker (1897) have contributed to our knowledge of pollen and spore morphology. In the present century, rapid progress has been made in the study and several thousands of pollen and spores have been described and illustrated (Davis 1963). Study of pollen diversity has received an enormous attention since last few decades due to its allergenic properties. Identification of allergenic pollen grains is necessary from the plants those are utilized as ethnomedicinal, ethnovegetables,etc. This was the sincere attempt to note diversity of pollens in relation to taxonomy, allergenic properties and its economical importance in the region.