Dilaro Fayzullaeva 1*, Khislat Khaydarov 1, Zafarjon Rakhmonov 2, Zamira Djumayeva 3, Charoskhon Norxudjayeva 4, Abdusamat Begmatov 5, Farrukh Makhmadiyorov 6, Feruza Ibragimova 7, Dildora Khushvakhtova 1, Murtoza Hasanov 1 and Ilyos Ruziev 1
1Samarkand State University named after Sharof Rashidov, Samarkand, Uzbekistan; 2Kimyo International University in Tashkent Branch, Samarkand, Uzbekistan; 3Samarkand State Pedagogical Institute, Samarkand, Uzbekistan; 4Samarkand State Medical University, Samarkand, Uzbekistan; 5Termez State University, Termez, Uzbekistan; 6Samarkand Agroinnovations and Research University, Samarkand, Uzbekistan; 7Samarkand State University of Veterinary Medicine, Livestock and Biotechnologies, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
*Corresponding author: researcherssam@gmail.com
This study presents the first high-resolution SEM characterization of pollen from ten ecologically dominant, aerobiologically important plant species in Termez, southern Uzbekistan. These species are abundant across the region, common in urban and suburban settings, and likely add to airborne pollen loads. Between March and October 2024, we collected 30 mature pollen grains per species and analyzed them with a JEOL JSM-IT210 SEM. One-way ANOVA revealed big interspecific differences in polar and equatorial diameters (P<0.001); polar diameters ranged from 14.89 to 112.67 µm. Most taxa had oblate to oblate-spheroidal shapes (P/E < 1.0). Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the first two components captured 99.98% of the total variance, clearly separating species by size and shape. Distinct exine ornamentation patterns also aided species-level identification. These results set a critical baseline for the Pollen Atlas of Uzbekistan and have practical applications: improving allergy forecasts by enabling precise airborne pollen monitoring and guiding evidence-based urban planning and environmental management in arid Central Asia.