FORENSIC PALYNOLOGY

Pollen analysis begins in 1916 in Sweden with the concept that was first outlined by Lennart von Post

The key pollen evidence  from the Shroud focuses on four main types, all four are insect-pollinated:

Zygophyllum dunosum, Gundelia tournefortii, Cistus creticus and Capparis aegyptia

Pollen and spore production and dispersion are important considerations in the study of forensic palynology. First, if one knows what the expected production and dispersal patterns of spores and pollen (called the pollen rain) are for the plants in a given region, then one will know what type of "pollen fingerprint" to expect in samples that come from that area (Bryant, 1989). Therefore, the first task of the forensic palynologist is to try to find a match between the pollen in a known geographical region with the pollen in a forensic sample. Knowledge of pollen dispersal and productivity often plays a major role in solving such problems.

There are a number of different methods by which plants disperse their pollen or spores. Many aquatic angiosperms live completely submerged and release their pollen underwater, relying on water currents to transport the pollen from the male anther to the female stigma of a neighboring flower. This method of transport, like the wind, is a hit- and -miss method of pollination. For this reason these plants produce pollen types that consist only of a single-layered cellulose wall, the pollen is almost never preserved in sediments and generally oxidizes rapidly if removed from water. Because of these limitations, these types of pollen are of little potential value for forensic work.

Current Status of Forensic Pollen Use

The United Kingdom is currently the world leader in using forensic pollen routinely in a wide variety of criminal and terrorist investigations, training not offered at any university

It is now routine in most areas of the UK for a forensic palynologist (FP) to be the FIRST person to visit a crime scene & collect essential samples for study  Last year the leading Forensic Palynologist team in the UK
worked on over 60 criminal cases of all types  New Zealand is a co-leader in Forensic pollen studies, it has
been used routinely in criminal since the mid 1980s

 Australia, Canada, Europe, and even a few Asian countries are now using forensic palynology in criminal cases However, the skills and competency of forensic pollen ID & use in some regions of the world are questionable

A Rarely used Technique in the India

 
 Forensic pollen studies are very rarely attempted in the India.
Current problem in the India is that there are very few people who are trained to do forensic pollen studies
 Currently there is little demand for this service, this is why very few forensic labs currently use it
There are currently no jobs for those who might want to train as forensic palynologists.
Because of no jobs, there are very few training programs currently available for students interested in becoming forensic palynologists

Textbook of Pollen Analysis

An Introduction To Pollen Analysis