Spring is a peak season for pollen allergies, primarily caused by wind-pollinated plants that release large amounts of pollen, affecting people's nasal passages, eyes and airways.

The most direct cause behind the increasing cases of pollen allergies is the rise in pollen levels. Guan Kai, director of the Allergy Department at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, told Xinhua News Agency that the world is "greening", and with global warming, the growth cycles of vegetation have been extended, lengthening the pollen season. Consequently, allergens are becoming more abundant.

Take the example of juniper.Its abundant pollen, though small in size, can spread like a "sandstorm" when released in large quantities. Juniper pollen is one of the main components causing allergic reactions in Beijing this year.

The strategy for managing juniper pollen focuses on three aspects: controlling the source of pollen, increasing timely pollen depositionand delaying the release time.

Junipers are divided into male and female plants. The female plants do not produce pollen, while the male plants have microsporangiate strobilus structures that are the source of pollen production.

Professor Qin Ling's team from the School of Plant Science and Technology at Beijing Agricultural University has conducted research on regulating the catkins of chestnut trees, which has inspired new approaches to managing juniper pollen.

"Based on the discovery of short male catkin bud variants in chestnuts, we developed a 'promote-female and reduce-male' technology to cultivate new varieties with sterile male catkins," Qin said. "For male junipers, we can inhibit the formation of microsporangiate strobilus at critical stages, reducing their number to 20 percent of the original, thereby decreasing pollen production at the source."

In addition to controlling pollen at the source and reducing it midway, another effective method is to decrease the pollen concentration after it has formed. The main approach currently is to use non-polluting water spray, which is particularly suitable for protecting ancient juniper trees.

The National Museum of Natural History, in collaboration with the Beijing Botanical Society and the South China Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has launched a citizen science project called the "Beijing Juniper Distribution Survey". This project utilizes information technology to engage the public in ground observations of junipers. It aims to achieve earlier and more precise pollen warnings and provide research and decision-making support for the scientific management of pollen allergens in the future.

Xu Zhoufeng, an engineer at the Herbarium of the South China Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that ground observations of juniper phenology can capture more accurate phenological signals of the plants. By aggregating large-scale local phenological data of junipers, it is possible to more accurately predict the pollination time, thereby providing earlier warnings.

Liu Xiaoli, an associate researcher at the National Museum of China, said that although the pollen dispersal times of junipers do not vary significantly from year to year, earlier warnings would greatly benefit allergy sufferers. If we can prepare in advance, allowing individuals to take measures such as using water sprays, regularly pruning, or applying pollen fixatives to plants, many people will have a better time during spring.

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