A melissopalynological map of the South and Southwest of the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina

A Valle,M Gil,A Andrada,S Lamberto,E Aramayo

doi:10.5424/sjar/2007052-237

Abstract

The aim of this work was to produce a melissopalynological map of the south and Southwest of the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, using pollen analysis data pertaining to 127 honey samples from the Pampa, Espinal (the Calden District), and Monte de Llanuras y Mesetas ecoregions, collected over the period 1992-2002. Using principal components and hierarchical cluster analysis, the different districts were grouped into five regions: I (Tres Arroyos, San Cayetano, Coronel Pringles and Coronel Dorrego), II (Guaminí, Saavedra, Coronel Suárez and Adolfo Alsina), III (Coronel Rosales, Monte Hermoso, Bahía Blanca and Villarino), IV (Patagones and Tornquist), and V (Puán). In Regions I, III and IV, 80% of honey samples were monofloral: Region I was characterized by the presence of 50% Helianthus annuus honeys and 10% clover honeys, Region III by 65% Eucalyptus sp. honeys, and Region IV by 30% Diplotaxis tenuifolia honeys. In Regions II and V, 50% of honeys were monofloral. Region II was distinguished by the presence of 50% H. annuus honeys, and Region V by 15% Larrea divaricata and 15% Vicia sp. honeys. The multifloral honeys of Region V included samples containing Condalia microphylla pollen. The families Fabaceae and Asteraceae provided the greatest diversity of pollen types. The association of Eucalyptus sp., Centaurea sp., and Diplotaxis tenuifolia characterised the honeys from all five regions. The natural variability of honey samples renders it very difficult to define the boundaries between the different regions.

Highlights

Argentina is one of the world’s main suppliers of honey, and in recent years local apicultural activity has grown appreciably
The main characteristic of the honey samples from the study area was the association of Eucalyptus sp., Centaurea sp. and Diplotaxis tenuifolia pollen types in all samples (Fig. 2)
The pollen of Eucalyptus sp. showed a 60% frequency of occurrence in the honeys of the central region (Region III), a value not reached in other honeys from the Buenos Aires or La Pampa Provinces (Tellería, 1992, 1996a,b; Naab et al, 2001) (Fig. 5)

Summary

Introduction

Argentina is one of the world’s main suppliers of honey, and in recent years local apicultural activity has grown appreciably. Honey production in the Buenos Aires Province represents more than 50% of the national output (AACREA, 2003). About 8% of Argentinean honey is consumed domestically; most is exported in bulk. The growing demand for «guarantee of origin» honey on the international market, and the interest in improving the profitability of beekeeping, have led to increased melissopalynological research in the Buenos Aires region (Valle et al, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2004; Andrada et al, 1998a,b, 1999; Gallez et al, 2005). To date, no Argentinean melissopalynological maps have been available; only a few studies on apibotanical resources in the Pampa (Tellería, 1993), Delta e Islas del Paraná (Gurini and Basilio, 1995), Espinal (Andrada, 2001) and Monte de Llanuras y Mesetas ecoregions (Forcone, 2003a, b) have been performed

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Conclusion