Morphological characterisation of some selected bee forage resources using SEM (Scanning electron microscopy) from Himachal Pradesh, India

Abstract

In the present study morphological characterisation of six selected bee forage resources such as, Callistemon citrinus, Syzygium cumini, Eriobotrya japonica, Prinsepia utilis, Prunus persica, Aesculus indica has been worked out with the help of SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy). All the pollens studied were monads and isopolar and characters such as size, shape, shape class, symmetry and exine ornamentation shows variations. Size of grains ranges from small to medium. Shape is mostly round or triangular except oval grains in Aesculus indica. Aperture was tricolporate in most of the pollens, but Callistemon citrinus and Syzygium cumini pollens were tri- parasyncolpate and tri- parasyncolpate rarely tetra-syncolporate, respectively and were also different in terms of symmetry and exine ornamentation.