Building-integrated agriculture : a first assessment of aerobiological air quality in rooftop greenhouses (i-RTGs)
Ercilla Montserrat, Mireia (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Izquierdo Miguel, Rebeca (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Belmonte, Jordina (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal i d'Ecologia)
Montero Camacho, Juan Ignacio (Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries)
Muñoz Odina, Pere (Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries)
De Linares Fernández, Concepción (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal i d'Ecologia)
Rieradevall, Joan (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)

Date:	2017
Abstract:	Building-integrated rooftop greenhouse (i-RTG) agriculture has intensified in recent years, due to the growing interest in the development of new agricultural spaces and in the promotion of food self-sufficiency in urban areas. This paper provides a first assessment of the indoor dynamics of bioaerosols in an i-RTG, with the aim of evaluating biological air quality in a tomato greenhouse near Barcelona. It evaluates the greenhouse workers' exposure to airborne pollen and fungal spores in order to prevent allergy problems associated with occupational tasks. Moreover, it evaluates whether the quality of the hot air accumulated in the i-RTG is adequate for recirculation to heat the building. Daily airborne pollen and fungal spore concentrations were measured simultaneously in the indoor and outdoor environments during the warm season. A total of 4,924 pollen grains/m3 were observed in the i-RTG, with a peak of 334 pollen grains/m3day, and a total of 295,038 fungal spores were observed, reaching a maximum concentration of 26,185 spores/m3day. In general, the results showed that the most important source of pollen grains and fungal spores observed indoors was the outdoor environment. However, Solanaceae pollen and several fungal spore taxa, such as the allergenic Aspergillus/Penicillium, largely originated inside the greenhouses or were able to colonize the indoor environment under favourable growing conditions. Specific meteorological conditions and agricultural management tasks are related to the highest observed indoor concentrations of pollen grains and fungal spores. Therefore, preventive measures have been suggested in order to reduce or control the levels of bioaerosols indoors (to install a system to interrupt the recirculation of air to the building during critical periods or to implement appropriate air filters in ventilation air ducts). This first evaluation could help in making decisions to prevent the development of fungal diseases, specifically those due to Oidium and Torula.
Grants:	Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CTM2013-47067-C2-1R Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CTM2016-75772-C3-1-R Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CTM2016-75772-C3-2-R Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CTM2016-75772-C3-3-R Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad MDM-2015-0552
Note:	Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu MdM-2015-0552
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió acceptada per publicar
Subject:	Urban agriculture ; Greenhouse ; Tomato crop ; Pollen grains ; Fungal spores ; Indoor and outdoor bioaerosols ; Air recirculation ; Symbiosis
Published in:	Science of the total environment, Vol. 598 (November 2017) , p. 109-120, ISSN 1879-1026

DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.04.099

Postprint 31 p, 2.0 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA) > Sustainability and Environmental Protection (Sostenipra)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles