Melissopalynology of Honey Beeflora in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – Pakistan

Abstract

The guiding principles for raising beekeeping products in developing countries provide support for commercializing honey production in order to generate income for beekeepers through the exploration of honeybee flora. The aim of this project was to conduct a detailed study of melissopalynology of honeybee flora in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-Pakistan. The melissopalynological features, honey analysis, dominant plant families visited by honeybees, and life forms were studied. In total of 114 species belonging to 105 genera and 43 families were identified as visited by honeybees. Acetolysis method was used to prepare the microscopic slides of pollen and describe the qualitative and quantitative features using LM and SEM. Honeybee flora have been characterized by small, small-to-medium, medium and large sized pollen morphotypes. Pollen grains were monad to polyad, zonocolporate, and radially symmetrical. Pollen shape varying from prolate-spheroidal, oblate-spheroidal, spherical, sub-prolate and sub-oblate, sub-spheroidal, prolate to per prolate. Pantoporate type pollen was observed in Amaranthaceae, monoporate in Poaceae, tricolporate in Fabaceae, trizonocolporate in Asteraceae, tricolpate to tricolporate in Brassicaceae, and tricolporate in Apiaceae, Myrtaceae, and Solanaceae. Fastigium cavities were observed mostly in aperturate grains. The highest polar diameter (120 µm) and equatorial view distance (121µm) was observed in Alcea rosea. Scanning electron microscopy revealed diverse exine peculiarities reticulate, psilate, scabrate-verrucate, scabrate-gemmate, granulate, perforate, micro-echinate, micro-reticulate, and regulate to fossulate. Exine thickness was measured maximum for Boerhavia procumbens (7.45 µm). Identification of 24 honey samples were authenticated using standard protocol to described pollen spectrum of dominant vegetation. Honey analysis indicated that the highest pollen diversity was observed in Acacia ssp., Eucalyptus spp. and Ziziphus spp. honey samples. The outcomes of this study aid in the assessment of honeybee flora and help in providing conservation measures for the sustainable development. The data generated in this study may helpful in identification of the floral sources and will enable us to develop the pollen atlas and commercialize honey production to generate revenue through beekeeping practices