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Meteorological factors such as temperature, humidity, rainfall and wind velocity, etc., besides many other factors, affect the occurrence and distribution of fungi, in almost all the environments. Phenology of fungi inhabiting soil, water and various other substrates has been studied by different workers but comparatively very little is known for the air borne fungi, particularly those which occur in the indoors .

Allergenic effects of fungi are much not known & that too of those that inhabit/or living in the air of Ginneries.The studies wee undertaken to find out the mycoflora of of ginneries in Lucknow using different methods/Media.Few selected fungi were also tested for their allergenic behaviour on human beings.

The occurrence of fungal forms in higher number from the ginnery number 1 followed by 22 and 19 may be due the unsatisfactory maintenance of the work place, lack of cross ventilation and ginning of more used cotton than the new cotton. Used cotton might give out more fungal spores and dust. Besides the above, the size of the work place, the work load, and other occupational activities being carried out under the same roof might also have played a significant role in determining the diversity and number of fungi of a particular Ginnery. Ginnery number 7 wherefrom the lowest number of fungal forms was recovered might possibly be a good example. In this case the size of the work place was more than the others, which might have been one of the factors to dilute the fungal spores/unit volume than the other Ginneries numbering-1, 19 and 22 which were smaller than no. 7. Furthermore, in the Ginnery number 7, where mustard oil was also expelled and various other condiments were also ground by small machines, the isolation of lesser number of fungal forms from such work place, could have been due to the presence of many substances suspended as particulate matter or as aerosols produced as a result of such additional activities that might have antifungal properties. More so, mustard oil contains sulfur compounds that inhibit fungal growth (Kirk, et al., 2001). Thus, for the present occupational environ (Ginneries) investigated, the role of other gaseous pollutants, substrates present at the work place, besides other eco-factors in affecting the aero-fungal population should not be overlooked. (Gregory, 1961; Barauh, 1961; Sreeramulu, 1961; Madelin and Linton, 1974; Shukla, 1987

The micro-fungi from the indoor air of 22 Ginneries situated in all the four directions [North (5), South (5), East (5), West (5)] and also (2) in the center of Lucknow were studied for a year. The fungi were isolated periodically using different natural and synthetic media such as, Czapek dox agar, Potato dextrose agar, Malt agar, Sabouraud agar and Rose-bengal agar. Petri-plates containing aforesaid media supplemented with suitable antibiotics (0.5 g/L) were exposed for 2-5 minutes in the Ginneries at all their four corners and also in the center so as to get, as far as possible, complete picture of their indoor micro fungal flora. The Petri-plates were incubated at 28+1C and colonies were counted from 3rd to 7th day. Fungi were isolated on suitable slants and identified using standard keys and monographs. Meteorological and other ecologically significant data were recorded. The data so obtained were subjected to correlation coefficient analysis.

Ginneries in the North of City

1.     Mangat Ram Carding Mill: - It is situated in Nishat Ganj area at the paper mill colony road. The length of the shop is 4.5 m and breadth and height are 3.6 and 3.0 m, respectively. The mill surrounded by jute curtain had no opening. The condition of the mill was unsatisfactory, without ventilation. Two workers worked there daily from 9.00 A.M. to 7.00 P.M., except Thursday. Approximately 70-90 kg used and 20-30 kg new cotton was ginned in the mill every day.

2.     Vijay Singh Ginnery: - It is situated in Sector - C, Indira Nagar at a side of busy road. The length of the ginnery is 4.5 m and breadth and height are 3.6 and 2.7 m, respectively. The ginnery had one door. Only one labourer worked daily from 8.00 A.M. to 5.00 P.M., except Thursdays. The ginnery had no cross ventilation. Approximately 60-70 kg old and 40-50 kg new cotton was ginned each day. The mill was very dirty.

3.     Mehmood Cotton Industry: - It is situated at Rahim Nagar Chauraha, Aliganj on a busy road. The Length of the ginnery is 6.4 and breadth and height are 4.2 and 3.9m, respectively. It had only one door at the front, and was without any cross ventilation . The environment of the shop was suffocating. Two workers ginned approximately 75-90 kg old and 30-40 kg new cotton every day from 7.00 A.M. to 6.00 P.M., except Mondays.

4.     Rehan Carding Mill: - It is situated at Dandahia market of Aliganj area on a very busy road. The length is 4.5 and breadth and height are 2.7 and 4.5 m, respectively. The cemented ginnery had two openings, one at the front and the other at backside, but had no cross ventilation. Two workers worked there every day from 8.00 A.M. to 7.00 P.M. except Monday. Approximately 75 kg old and 25 kg new cotton was ginned per working day.

5.     Ram Avatar Ginnery: - It is situated in the busy Sabzi Mandi of Aliganj Area near A.R.T.O. Office. The length of the shop is 4.5 and breadth and height are 3.0 and 4.2 m, respectively. The shop being made up of iron shed and surrounded by jute bags had ventilations and satisfactory overall condition. Only one worker ginned the cotton every day from 9.00 A.M. to 7.00 P.M. Approximately 80 kg old and 20 kg new cotton was ginned per day during all the working days.

 Ginneries in the South of City

6.     Reisa Bano Ginnery: - This is situated in Mawaiya area at the busy Kanpur Road. The length of the mill is 3.3 and breadth and height are 3.0 and 3.6 m, respectively. The cemented ginnery was without any openings, except for one door. Two workers work there every day from 7.30 A.M. to 7.00 P.M., except Thursdays. Approximately 80 kg old and 20 kg new cotton was ginned there every working day.

7.     Ashok Kumar Gupta Ginnery: - It is situated at the railway crossing of Mawaiya. The length of the mill is 9.0 m and the breadth and height are 7.8 and 3.0 m, respectively. The mill was cemented but ill maintained. The mill had two shutter openings in the front only, but without any cross ventilation. Two workers ginned cotton there every day from 8.00 A.M. to 7.00 P.M. Mostly old cotton was ginned there rather than new cotton.  Oil (Mustard) was also expelled there and the condiments are grinned under were same roof.

8.     Murari Ginnery: - It is located at a busy roadside. The length of the mill is 3.0 m and the breadth and height are 2.7 and 2.1 m, respectively. The walls of the mill were plastered but ceiling was made up of polythene that made the place very warm. The mill had only one small door without any cross ventilation. This caused suffocation. Two workers worked there every day from 9.00 A.M. to 8.00 P.M., except Thursdays. The ginning frequency of old cotton was three times higher than the new cotton (75 kg old and 25 kg new). The overall condition of the mill was unsatisfactory.

9.     Aslam Ginnery Mill: - This is situated in Alambagh area at Sujanpura Road. The mill is cemented. The length of the shop is 4.5 and breadth and height are 2.7 and 3.3 m, respectively. Three workers worked thereform 7.00 A.M. to 7.30 P.M. every day. Approximately 120 kg old and 40 kg new cotton was ginned every day.

10.   Ashwani Ginnery Mill: - It is situated at VIP road of Bangla Bazar area. The length of the mill is 8.1 and breadth and height are 7.5 and 2.1 m, respectively. The ceiling of mill is iron sheet that makes the atmosphere hot. Two workers worked there every day from 10.00 A.M. to 7.00 P.M. The ginning frequency of the old cotton was two times greater than of the new cotton.

Ginneries in the East of City

11.   Rajesh Carding Mill: - This is in Sadar area and in the busy market. The length of the mill is 3.6 and breadth and height are 3.0 and 2.4 m, respectively. The wall of the mill is cemented but the ceiling is covered with iron sheets. The mill has only one small door and no other windows and openings. Two workers worked there every day from 10.00 A.M. to 7.00 P.M. Approximately 90 kg old and 25 kg new cotton was ginned every day. The condition of the mill was unsatisfactory in the sense that the cleanliness was not taken care of.

12.   Anil Carding Mill: - It is near railway crossing of the Sadar area. It measures 3.3 m in length with the breadth and height being 2.7 and 2.1 m, respectively. The mill is cemented without windows. Only one worker ginned cotton there every day from 9.00 A.M. to 6.00 P.M. The ginning frequency of the old cotton was twice than the new cotton.

13.   Mahesh Ginnery: - It is situated at the busy Haider Canal road. The length of the mill is 5.7 and the breadth and height are 3.6 and 1.8 m, respectively. The mill is cemented without other openings except a door. The condition of the shop was unsatisfactory. Two workers ginned cotton there every day from 8.00 A.M. to 7.00 P.M. Approximately 70 kg old and 30 kg new cotton was ginned every day.

14.   V.K. Gupta Ginnery: - This is in the Cantonment area at the roadside. The length of the mill is 4.2 and breadth and height are 3.6 and 3.0 m, respectively. The mill is cemented with an opening and no good cross ventilation. Three workers worked there every day from 9.00 A.M. to 7.00 P.M. Approximately 90 kg old and 25 kg new cotton was ginned every day.

15.   Suresh Ginnery: - It is situated near the gate of Old Counsellor's Residence (O.C.R.). This measures 4.2 m in length and breadth and height are 3.0 and 3.0 m, respectively. The mill is cemented but very dirty . It has only one door but has no windows hence lacks of cross ventilation. Two workers worked there every day from 8.00 A.M. to 8.00 P.M. The ginning frequency of old cotton (100-120 kg) was four times more than the new cotton (30 kg).

Ginneries in the West of City

16.   V.K. Agarwal Ginnery: - It is situated at the Victoria Street in Chowk near Medical University crossing. The length of the mill is 7.5 and breadth and height are 5.4 and 2.7 m, respectively. There are two shutter doors and a window. The condition of the mill is satisfactory. Three workers worked there every day from 9.00 A.M. to 7.00 P.M., except Thursdays. Approximately 70 kg of used and 45 kg new cotton was ginned there every working day.

17.   Ram Kumar Ginnery: - It is situated near the Bazar Khala Police Station in Chowk area. The length, breadth and height of the mill are 4.5, 3.3 and 2.7 m, respectively. The mill is cemented and has get poor sunlight . The ginning machine is operated with the help of Diesel engine, which when ginning is done causes lot of smoke. The shop has only one small door, with no windows. Two workers worked there every day from 9.00 A.M. to 6.00 P.M. The mill ginned more of the used cotton than the new ones. The owner did not give any estimate of the weight of cotton that was being ginned there.

18.   Babu Khan Carding Mill: - This is situated in the Aminabad area at Ganga Prasad Road, which gets lot of dust through vehicular traffic. The length of the mill is 3.3 m, and breadth and height are 2.7 and 2.1 m, respectively. The mill has no proper facility of illumination and therefore, ginning is done in dark. The mill has only one door at the front and no other ventilator. Only one worker worked there every day from 8.00 A.M. to 7.00 P.M., except Thursdays. Used cotton was ginned more than the unused/ fresh cotton.

19.   Sanjay Ginnery: - It is situated in the Rani Ganj area at the highly crowded Pandey Ganj Road. The mill measures 3.6, 2.1 and 2.7 m in length, breadth and height, respectively. It has only one door but no openings. The walls of the mill are cemented but the ceiling is made of iron sheet. Only one worker worked there every day from 9.00 A.M. to 7.00 P.M., except Thursdays. Used cotton was ginned more than the new cotton. The overall environment of the mill was unsatisfactory.

20.   Bhagwan Jaiswal Ginnery: - It is situated in the Aminabad area at Hari Nagar, Dugawan. The length of the mill is 8.1 m. It's breadth and height are 7.5 and 3.0 m, respectively. The mill has a number of openings and is cemented. Two workers worked there every day from 10.30 A.M. to 6.00 P.M., except Thursdays. Approximately 60 kg of used and 45 kgs of new cotton was ginned every working day.

 Ginneries in the Center of City

21.   Sunil Ginnery: - It is situated in the Hazratganj area in Galla Mandi of Narhi. The ginnery measures 7.5 m in length and it's breadth and height are 6.0 and 3.0 m, respectively. It has only one small door at the front and no windows. Three workers worked there every day from 8.00 A.M. to 6.00 P.M., except Mondays. Approximately 80 kg of used cotton and 20 kg of new cotton was ginned every working day.

22.   Ahsan Ali Ginnery: - It is situated in the Hazratganj area at Pharsi Ka Kabristan, Narhi. The length, breadth and height of the mill are 6.0, 4.5 and 3.0 m, respectively. The mill is cemented and has only one window. Two workers worked there every day from 9.00 A.M. to 6.00 P.M. except Mondays. Used cotton was ginned more than the unused cotton.

Meteorological data of Lucknow for the period of study (June 2001 to May 2002) is presented in table-1.

The highest temperature was recorded in the month of May (40.80⁰C) followed by April (37.28) and September (35.20), whereas the lowest was in the month of January, 2002 (22.40⁰C). Unexpectedly, temperature higher than in June was recorded in September (35.30⁰C), though in India, higher temperatures are normally experienced during the summer months April to June.  However, average maximum and minimum temperatures throughout the year range between 31.70 to 14.93⁰C. The rainfall was highest in the month of July (395.5 mm) and the lowest was recorded in the month of March (1.40 mm). There was no rainfall in December, April and May. The relative humidity was recorded lowest in February (67.03%), but the highest was in March (94.00%). The wind velocity was recorded lowest in October (1.34 km/hr) and the highest in March (5.36 km/hr). The average wind velocity for the period of study was 2.85 km/hr.

Correlation coefficient (r) among the meteorological factors and fungi is presented in table- 5.

These factors were correlated among themselves and also with the fungal component of the atmosphere. Temperature had negative and significant correlation with the total number of fungi, total number of colonies indoors and highly significant with the total number of colonies outdoors.  Fungi and fungal colonies, both outdoors and indoors had significant relationships among themselves. Total number of colonies indoors had very significant relationship with colonies occurring outdoors.

The occurrence and distribution of different fungal forms in the 22 Ginneries in Lucknow are presented in table-2. The highest number of fungi (35) was recovered from ginnery number 1 followed by 33 and 32 forms from ginneries numbering 22 and 19, respectively.  In Ginnery number 7, the lowest number of fungal forms (23) was found. In other Ginneries, forms ranging from 24-29 were found. 

As regards the percent occurrence of different forms, it could be noted that Aspergilli like Aspergillus niger (91%), A. flavus (85%), A. terreus (79%) and A. fumigatus (73%) showed higher percentage of occurrences than other Aspergilli namely, A. candidus (27%), A. carbonarius (17%), A. japonicus (45%), A. melleus (27%), A. nidulans (31%), A. niveus (26%), A. ochraceus (12%), A. tamarii (47%), and A. versicolor (48%) whose percentages of occurrence are indicated in parentheses against them. Other genera like Alternaria, Cladosporium, Curvularia, Drechslera, Fusarium, Monilia, Paecilomyces, Penicillium, Trichoderma, Trichothecium and mucorales showed varying percentages of their occurrences. Chaetomium, an Ascomycota genus had low occurrence (17%). The lowest occurrence was of Pestalotia pezizoides (9%). Rhizoctonia solani and Periconia byssoides showed 38% and 30% of occurrences, respectively while Pithomyces sp. and Rhizopus nigricans and Stachybotrys atra had their percentage of occurrences as 18, 25 and 13, respectively (Table-2).

As regards the fungal load in different Ginneries investigated for one complete year, it was observed that they had varying load of fungi as expressed in terms of colonies/m³. It ranged from 573248 to 1006369 colonies/m³.  Furthermore, the Ginneries that were without cross ventilation and/ or poorly maintained and dirty had higher fungal load. They were: ginnery numbers 1, 2, 7, 11, 18, and 19. The ginneries which were with or without cross ventilation but comparatively good in condition i.e., they were cleaner than others and less crowded or where work- load was lesser had shown less fungal load.  Their numbers were: 5 and 17 (Table- 3).  Others had shown varying fungal load.  As is also evident from the table-2.3, there was no correlation with the diversity of fungi and the fungal load of a particular Ginnery, because Ginneries numbering 5, 9, 14, 17, 18, 20, and 21 wherefrom almost similar fungal diversity was noted had varying fungal load. However, in general, it was observed that Ginneries that were unsatisfactory, maintenance-wise and had heavy workload, harboured sufficiently greater number of fungi than the cemented and cleaner ones (Table-3).

Regarding the average number of colonies, both in indoor and outdoor as shown in table-4, it could be inferred that there did not exist much variation between the two, but as seen in table-, there was a highly significant relationship (P<0.01) between the number of colonies found in the indoors and outdoors (r = 0.878). However, it is clear from table-4 that there was a significant shift in the number of colonies, both in indoors and outdoors in different months of the year, as the highest number of colonies were recorded in December and the lowest in May, in the indoors but in outdoors the highest number of colonies were recorded in November and the lowest in June (Table-4)

A total of thirty-five species of fungi from various Ginneries in different months during June, 2001 to May, 2002, were isolated (Table-6). Number of fungal forms isolated in varying months is exhibited in figure-2.6.  And, as is evident, forms ranging from 29-34 could be recovered during winter months (October to March) whereas in June and July and in August and September months the forms recovered were 11-14 and 22-31, respectively. The highest number (34) could be isolated in December and lowest (11) in June. The recovery of the total number of forms shows significant but negative correlation with the temperature (r = -0.684) at 5% level of probability. Of the members of Deuteromycota that were isolated throughout the year, the genus Aspergillus dominated all others. Some of its species like A. flavus, A. fumigatus, A. japonicus, A. nidulans, A. niger, A. tamarii and A. terreus were the most dominant and frequently occurring ones, whereas others did not show any regular seasonal pattern. However, A. flavus, A. fumigatus, A. niger showed their highest concentration in hotter months. The other genera like Alternaria, Fusarium, Rhizoctonia, Trichoderma and Trichothecium were found almost throughout the year. Members of mucorales like Mucor hiemalis, and Rhizopus nigricans were dominantly found during rains but could also be isolated in cooler months. Monilia was found in winter months as well as during rainy season (July-September). Paecilomyces varioti and Penicillium citrinum were found only during cooler months.  Stachybotrys atra was isolated during September to February whereas ascosporic fungus-Chaetomium globosum was recovered during October - February.

Table-1. Meteorological data for the one year period of June, 2001 to May, 2002 under study.

Table-2. Occurrence and distribution of fungi in different Ginneries of Lucknow (Based on 264 collections).

Table-3. Fungal load in different Ginneries during the period (June, 2001-May 2002).

Ginneries No.	Description of Ginneries	Dimension of the Ginneries (L x B x H in meters)	Total no. of fungal colonies/ plate (in 12 months)	Max. fungal load (No. of colonies/m3)	Total no. of forms
1.	Cement, jute surroundings, without cross ventilation	4.5 X 3.6 X 3.0	443	980891	35
2.	Cemented, good, without cross ventilation	4.5 X 3.6 X 2.7	430	929936	27
3.	Cemented, no cross ventilation unsatisfactory	6.4 X 4.2 X 3.9	393	878980	27
4.	Cemented, good, without cross ventilation	4.5 X 2.7 X 4.5	331	624203	26
5.	Iron shed, jute surroundings, with cross ventilation	4.5 X 3.0 X 4.2	291	662420	27
6.	Cemented, suffocating, without cross ventilation	3.3 X 3.0 X 3.6	355	980891	27

(Considering all Ginneries together)

Months	Indoor	Outdoor
June, 2001	123	103
July	251	210
August	524	497
September	637	600
October	834	775
November	1401	1352
December	1408	1350
January, 2002	807	790
February	731	680
March	650	600
April	364	325
May	118	107

Table-5 : Correlation coefficient ( r ) among different meteorological factors and fungi.

Characters	Rainfall	Relative humidity	Wind speed	Total number of fungi.	Total colonies indoors	Total colonies outdoors
1.     Temperature ( °C)	-0.0362	0.0898	0.419	-0.684*	-0.704*	-0.709**
2.     Rainfall (mm)		-0.0482	-0.204	-0.229	-0.253	-0.255
3.     Relative humidity (%)			-0.170	-0.137	-0.0716	0.686
4.     Wind speed (km/hr)				-0.417	-0.566	-0.568
5.     Total number of fungi					0.853***	0.849***
6.     Total colonies indoor						0.878***
7.     Total colonies outdoor

*Significant at P = 0.05; **Significant at P = 0.01; ***Significant at P = 0.001 (n = 12)
 Table-6. Seasonal variations in the occurrence of fungi

(Considering all Ginneries together)

Meteorological data presented in table- 1 show correlation among themselves (Table-5). Temperature was significantly and negatively correlated with the total number of fungi, total number of colonies indoors, as well as with total colonies outdoors, the last correlation being highly significant. Other meteorological factors showed in significant correlations with fungi. The negative correlation observed between fungi and temperature is logical as different fungal forms have varying temperature requirement to grow, flourish and produce spores (Griffin, 1994).

The occurrence of fungal forms in higher number from the ginnery number 1 followed by 22 and 19 may be due the unsatisfactory maintenance of the work place, lack of cross ventilation and ginning of more used cotton than the new cotton.  Used cotton might give out more fungal spores and dust.  Besides the above, the size of the work place, the work load, and other occupational activities being carried out under the same roof might also have played a significant role in determining the diversity and number of fungi of a particular Ginnery. Ginnery number 7 wherefrom the lowest number of fungal forms was recovered might possibly be a good example.  In this case the size of the work place was more than the others, which might have been one of the factors to dilute the fungal spores/unit volume than the other Ginneries numbering-1, 19 and 22 which were smaller than no. 7.  Furthermore, in the Ginnery number 7, where mustard oil was also expelled and various other condiments were also ground by small machines, the isolation of lesser number of fungal forms from such work place, could have been due to the presence of many substances suspended as particulate matter or as aerosols produced as a result of such additional activities that might have antifungal properties.  More so, mustard oil contains sulfur compounds that inhibit fungal growth (Kirk, et al., 2001). Thus, for the present occupational environ (Ginneries) investigated, the role of other gaseous pollutants, substrates present at the work place, besides other eco-factors in affecting the aero-fungal population should not be overlooked. (Gregory, 1961; Barauh, 1961; Sreeramulu, 1961; Madelin and Linton, 1974; Shukla, 1987).

Amongst the forms isolated, Aspergilli namely, A. niger, A. flavus, A. terreus, A. fumigatus occurred in comparatively higher percentages than the others (table- 2). Not only this, but amongst all other fungi, the Aspergilli also dominated. This confirms the observations made by others like Rajan et al. (1952) and Sinha et al. (1984) and Shukla (1987).  However, some Aspergilli, viz., A. candidus, A. carbonarius, A. japonicus, A. melleus, A. nidulans, A. niveus, A. ochraceus, A. tamarii and A. versicolor had low percentages of their occurrences indicating sufficient variation in the population of different species of Aspergillus in the Ginneries. This also confirms the observations of Kramer et al. (1960), Hudson (1969), Rati and Ramalingam (1976), and Calvo et al. (1980). Such variations in the occurrences of these Aspergilli have also been reported for other ecological niches (Saksena, 1955; Rai and Mukerji, 1959; Mishra, 1966; Kohlmeyer, 1969; Lee and Baker, 1972; Rai and Chowdhery, 1978, 1979). Other Deuteromycetes like Alternaria, Cladosporium, Curvularia, Fusarium, and Trichoderma also occurred in low percentages.  So also, the genus Chaetomium the only Ascomycota recovered. The reason, which might probably be attributed to this would be the lack of decomposing plant materials, because these fungi are good decomposers of plant materials and their spores/mycelia can be in the air in plenty if their substrates are present in the surrounding environment. Since fungi in the air come either from the decomposing material or from the soil and hence, the low occurrence of aforesaid fungi in the ginneries environment seems justified.

In general, Ginneries without cross ventilation had higher fungal load than those with cross ventilation (Table-3). But this was not the case with all of them, indicating that to assess the fungal load, ventilation should not only be taken as a decisive factor, as had also been thought and claimed by Gregory (1961), rather many other factors which come into play, as has been observed during the present study, should be taken into account. Similar were the findings of Shukla (1987), Misra and Shukla (1989), Misra et al. (1989). No significant variation in the number of colonies found in the indoors and outdoors could be noted during the present study.  However, statistically highly significant relationship between them could be established with the available data. Such findings although, not statistically proved had also been expressed by worker like Richards (1954) who made a comparative study of the outdoor and indoor environments for the mould spores.  However, during the present study, it could also be observed that the materials stored in permanent Ginneries and the fine to very fine cotton fibres stuck to the ceilings and walls, etc., therein act as substrates for the fungi to grow during moist weather.  Thus, these are significant in adding to or altering the fungal spectrum of the indoor air of Ginneries, besides the outdoor addition of spores through ventilation and dust, etc. that result due to ginning of fibres. According to Gregory (1961), “microbes in indoor air may come from outside air-spora by ventilation, or they may originate within the enclosure in which case they are probably limited in variety but may occur in high concentration”. Mallea et al. (1982), while working on the fungal flora in house, had reported in certain cases of greater number of fungi in the inside than the outside environment. This contains with the observations of the present study that the colonies in indoors were always higher than the outdoors in different months of the year.  Since temperature has significant bearing on the fungal population, this result appears logical. 

Highest number of colonies was recorded in December and the lowest in June, during the present investigation. This indicates the seasonality in the air fungal population.  Such variations in fungal populations of air and other environs have also been noted by various other workers like Cunnigham (1873), Rajan et al. (1952), Hirst (1953), Padmanabhan et al. (1953), Richards (1954), Sreeramulu (1959), Pady (1957), Elkan and Moore (1960), Gupta et al. (1960), Davies et al. (1963), Adam (1964), Sreeramulu and Ramalingam (1964, 1966), Moubasher and El-Dohlab (1970), Tilak and Kulkarni (1970), Mishra and Kamal (1971), Agarwal (1975a), Moubasher and Abdul Hafez (1978), Bhatia and Gaur (1979), Singh and Baruah (1979), Pennycook (1980), Tilak and Babu (1981), Gaur and Kasana (1981), Shukla (1987), Bhat and Rajasab (1988), Misra and Shukla (1989), Misra et al. (1989), Aghashe and Sudha (1995).  As indicated in fig. 6, the fungi in highest number were isolated in December while the lowest were recovered in May and June. This observation is strengthened by the fact that temperature shows negative and significant correlation with the total number of fungal forms recovered during this study (r = -0.684). Similar relationship has also been reported by Bartzokas (1975), who worked on the relationship between the meteorological conditions and the air borne fungal flora of the Athens metropolitan area and so also by Shukla (1987), Misra and Shukla (1989), and Misra et al. (1989).

It needs to be mentioned here that during the course of present investigations (June, 2001-May, 2002) the weather parameters, particularly the temperature and rainfall, were not as stable as it used to be in the previous years. Since it is worldwide experience that the weather parameters, particularly temperature is increasing unexpectedly and hence its influence on all life forms can not be overlooked.

Specifically, only three species of Aspergilli like A. flavus, A. fumigatus, and A. niger, were isolated throughout the year from the Ginneries. This is indicative of the fact that seasonality in the occurrence of fungi which operate in other environs like soil and compost may not exactly operate in the air because some Aspergilli, viz., A. fumigatus is not normally found during winters in soil (Agarwal, 1973, 1975 a, b, c), but has been found in the indoor air of ginneries during the present investigation. However, Mullins et al. (1984), while studying the concentration of A. fumigatus in outside air at Cardiff and St. Louis, found seasonal variation and its highest concentration during winter. But this may not be true for North-Indian climate.  Similarly, A. nidulans, A. tamarii and A. terreus, which occur normally during cooler months in soil and other habitats, were found in varying frequencies in the indoor air in other months as well. This may possibly be attributed to the fact that the factor in operation in the other environs might not be functional in the indoors.  During the present study also, the genus Cladosporium, a fungus commonly encountered by the aerobiologists all over the world, of course, in varying seasons, was found to be frequently and dominantly occurring in all the seasons in the indoor environments of Ginneries.  Cammack (1955) also have reported similarly.  The occurrence of Trichoderma and Monilia and so also Trichothecium roseum is in agreement with the earlier reports of Tilak et al. (1981), Verma et al. (1981) from air and also with that of Mishra (1965, 1966), Saksena et al. (1967a,b), Moubasher and Abdel Hafez (1978) and Misra (1983) from edaphic environments.

It needs to be mentioned here that during the course of present investigations (June, 2001-May, 2002) the weather parameters, particularly the temperature and rainfall, were not as stable as it used to be in the previous years. Since it is worldwide experience that the weather parameters, particularly temperature is increasing unexpectedly and hence its influence on all life forms can not be overlooked. Specifically, only three species of Aspergilli like A. flavus, A. fumigatus, and A. niger, were isolated throughout the year from the Ginneries. This is indicative of the fact that seasonality in the occurrence of fungi which operate in other environs like soil and compost may not exactly operate in the air because some Aspergilli, viz., A. fumigatus is not normally found during winters in soil (Agarwal, 1973, 1975 a, b, c), but has been found in the indoor air of ginneries during the present investigation. However, Mullins et al. (1984), while studying the concentration of A. fumigatus in outside air at Cardiff and St. Louis, found seasonal variation and its highest concentration during winter. But this may not be true for North-Indian climate. Similarly, A. nidulans, A. tamarii and A. terreus, which occur normally during cooler months in soil and other habitats, were found in varying frequencies in the indoor air in other months as well. This may possibly be attributed to the fact that the factor in operation in the other environs might not be functional in the indoors. During the present study also, the genus Cladosporium, a fungus commonly encountered by the aerobiologists all over the world, of course, in varying seasons, was found to be frequently and dominantly occurring in all the seasons in the indoor environments of Ginneries. Cammack (1955) also have reported similarly. The occurrence of Trichoderma and Monilia and so also Trichothecium roseum is in agreement with the earlier reports of Tilak et al. (1981), Verma et al. (1981) from air and also with that of Mishra (1965, 1966), Saksena et al. (1967a,b), Moubasher and Abdel Hafez (1978) and Misra (1983) from edaphic environments.

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