Pollen analysis of Apis dorsata Fabricius honeys in Bankura and Paschim Medinipur districts, West Bengal

Abstract

One-hundred-and-five species corresponding to 38 families were identified through pollen analyses of 53 Apis dorsata honeys collected from Bankura and Paschim Medinipur districts, West Bengal. The families most frequently encountered were Fabaceae, Arecaceae, Asteraceae and Myrtaceae. Fabaceae had the greatest representation in number of pollen types (18 types), followed by Asteraceae (nine types), Cucurbitaceae (seven types), Lamiaceae and Myrtaceae (each with six types) and Malvaceae and Rutaceae (each with five types). Most of the honey samples correspond to class I. The presence of dominant pollen was detected in 18 samples. The predominant pollen types were Borassus flabellifer, Sesamum indicum (during summer), Eucalyptus globulus (during late autumn), Brassica nigra, Eucalyptus globulus (during winter) and Borassus flabellifer and Lannea coromandelica (during spring). The unifloral honeys obtained mostly during late autumn and winter were dominated by Eucalyptus globulus type. In monsoon and autumn unifloral honeys containing predominant pollen types (> 45%) were not found. However, according to frequency distribution the pollen types represented as very frequent were Peltophorum pterocarpum, Tridax procumbens (in monsoon) and Acacia auriculiformis, Cocos nucifera, Eucalyptus globulus, Tridax procumbens and Ziziphus mauritiana (in autumn). The seasonal diversity of pollen types obtained was at a maximum during spring (36 types) and minimum during late autumn (14 types). Seasonal variation in the number of pollen types per sample range from 5.86 ± 1.87 (during late autumn) to 6.86 ± 1.95 (during autumn) and exhibit low correlation (r = 0.31) with floral diversity. The diversity of pollen types per unifloral honey sample remains lower than multifloral honeys.