Flowering Trees Research Articles

Introducing linked primers for apple (Malus pumila Mill) flowering or vegetative buds using cDNA-based expression

The juvenile period in trees may keep breeders from the early achievement of successive generations in fruit tree breeding. Shortening this period could lead the plant breeders to improve fruit production faster. The objective of the current research was to identify the candidate loci or primers for apple flower and vegetative (leaf) buds using the cDNA-RAPD technique. Leaf and flower buds were collected from Red and Golden Delicious apples. The synthesized cDNAs were amplified using the cDNA-RAPD based gene expression technique by 10 RAPD primers. All the primers were polymorphic, with an average of 6.2 bands and an average PIC value of 0.162. The highest number of polymorphic bands belonged to the Ah1 primer (11 bands). Marker index (MI) was obtained between 0.702 for Ah6 primer, and 1.32 for Ah1, implying a higher efficiency of the Ah1 primer in determining polymorphisms. Ah3 and Ah4 were more efficient in this respect than the other examined primers. Binary logistic and cluster analyses results showed that the ALL3-Ah1 (815-820 bp), ALL11-Ah1 (740-750 bp), ALL40-Ah7 (885-900 bp), ALL41-Ah7 (800 bp), and ALL45-Ah8 (790-800 bp) bands (alleles) have a significant association with the flower buds, and the ALL44-Ah8 (700-710 bop) allele with the vegetative buds. The identified alleles could be further sequenced and utilized to induce flowering in apple trees. They could be considered as the primers linked to the flowering or vegetative control loci. These primers may serve as selection criteria in the molecular breeding of flowering or vegetative states in apple. It provides a foundation for future studies toward the determination of the functional importance of these candidate loci for shortening the juvenile period of the apple trees. They can be utilized for genetic transformation to induce flowering and shorten the juvenile period in apples and similar trees.

일제하 경성 벚꽃놀이의 식민지적 이중성

The purpose of this paper is to look at the background of the introduction of cherry blossoms in Japanese colonial era and the purpose of the introduction of the Japanese Government-General of Korea from the perspective of colonial use to facilitate rule over Koreans. Through the analysis of primary historical sources such as the newspaper feed of the time and Lee Taejoon's novel, Planted A Flower Tree But, we first looked at how Japanese colonial era cherry blossoms were introduced and why they were introduced, and secondly, we looked at the representation of cherry trees in Lee Taejoon's novel. As a result of the study, cherry blossoms were introduced in Joseon in 1907 and spread through the process of acceptance and resistance. The colonial duality of cherry blossoms can be considered through the relationship between Japanese and wealthy Koreans who embraced cherry blossom viewing and the poor in Gyeongseong, which had no choice but to be alienated from such cherry blossom viewing in the novel.

Neolamarckia cadamba (cadamba) waste pulp as a natural and techno-economic scavenger for methylene blue from aqueous solutions

In this work, Neolamarckia cadamba (cadamba), also known as bur flower tree has been exercised to demonstrate as an excellent methylene blue scavenger from simulated as well as industrial wastewater. The particle morphology and structural insights were gained from FESEM, BET surface area, FTIR, and pHZPC. The adsorption behavior was mapped by different physico-chemical parameters such as contact time, pH, input concentration, and temperature. Experimental data reveal rapid adsorption, and >90% uptake was successful within the first 15 min and reaches equilibrium by 45 min (removal efficiency = 94.15%) at neutral pH. The maximum adsorption capacity was found to be 115.60 mg/g. The uptake process follows pseudo-second-order kinetics (R2 = 0.99), confirming a chemisorption process while the Langmuir model (R2 = 0.99) satisfactorily addresses the adsorption path. Thermodynamic parameters suggest a spontaneous, feasible, and exothermic process with increased entropy. Spent adsorbent could easily be regenerated in up to 74% using 1:1 MeOH/H2O with a potential of three-cycle use. Real-time efficacy has been established with an MB containing industrial effluent and up to 44.70% adsorption, which confirms the material’s practical applicability. Statistical reliability was confirmed by the relative standard deviation. Altogether, the present material offers clean and green removal of methylene blue dye from versatile wastewater.

Metabolomics Reveals Distinctive Metabolic Profiles and Marker Compounds of Camellia (Camellia sinensis L.) Bee Pollen.

Camellia bee pollen (CBP) is a major kind of bee product which is collected by honeybees from tea tree (Camellia sinensis L.) flowers and agglutinated into pellets via oral secretion. Due to its special healthcare value, the authenticity of its botanical origin is of great interest. This study aimed at distinguishing CBP from other bee pollen, including rose, apricot, lotus, rape, and wuweizi bee pollen, based on a non-targeted metabolomics approach using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Among the bee pollen groups, 54 differential compounds were identified, including flavonol glycosides and flavone glycosides, catechins, amino acids, and organic acids. A clear separation between CBP and all other samples was observed in the score plots of the principal component analysis, indicating distinctive metabolic profiles of CBP. Notably, L-theanine (864.83-2204.26 mg/kg) and epicatechin gallate (94.08-401.82 mg/kg) were identified exclusively in all CBP and were proposed as marker compounds of CBP. Our study unravels the distinctive metabolic profiles of CBP and provides specific and quantified metabolite indicators for the assessment of authentic CBP.

Calendar of flowering of woody plants in the Polar Alpine Botanical Garden-Institute named after N. A. Avrorin

The information about the timing and duration of flowering of woody plants makes it possible to plan the landscaping so that the plantings are the most decorative. Trees and shrubs are the most decorative during their blooming. The article presents key data on the flowering of woody plants in the Polar Alpine Botanical Garden-Institute (PABGI). The objects of the study were trees and shrubs in the PABGI collection fund. The material of the work was the data of phenological observations for the period from 2001 to 2020. We studied the beginning and duration of the growing season, the duration of the prefloral period, the timing, duration and abundance of the flowering. Trees and shrubs in the PABGI collection are characterized by an early beginning and a short duration of the growing season, a short and medium duration of the prefloral period. Early flowering in the second half of May is typical for wind-pollinated and flowering before leaf-out plants. The mass flowering of trees and shrubs is observed in the second decade of June and the first decade of July. Woody plants with a long prefloral period and long-blooming plants flower in August and September. Most trees and shrubs bloom within 6-10 or 11-15 days. The abundance of flowering is rated from moderate to excellent.

Crop–pollinator interactions in urban and peri‐urban farms in the United Kingdom

Societal Impact StatementUrban food production could contribute towards sustainable food provision and would also deliver benefits to biodiversity and the health of urban residents. Many crops rely on insect pollination, but urban pollinator populations are under‐studied. In this study, crop–pollinator interactions and pollination quality were quantified in urban allotments in the United Kingdom. A diversity of insects was observed visiting the flowers of food crops, with squash, cucumber and fruit trees attracting the most flower visitors. However, strawberry plants pollinated naturally by insects produced lower quality fruit than those receiving supplemental hand‐pollination. Urban crop pollination could therefore be improved through the provision of food and nesting habitats for insects.Summary Growing food in and around cities could be a partial solution to sustainably increasing food production in an urbanised world. Recent studies have shown that small‐scale urban farms can be as productive, if not more so, than large‐scale conventional farms. However, the question of which insects visit fruit and vegetable crops in urban areas and whether there are sufficiently large and diverse populations to provide adequate pollination to food crops has been little explored. Here we quantified plant–pollinator visitation networks in urban allotments in the city of Brighton and Hove, UK, to determine which insect groups visit commonly grown fruit and vegetable crops. We also conducted pollinator deficit experiments to determine whether there are sufficient pollinators in urban allotments to adequately pollinate two commonly grown insect‐pollinated crops, strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa) and runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus). A broad range of insect‐pollinated fruit and vegetable crops were grown in allotments and were visited by a diversity of insects spanning many taxonomic groups. We found little evidence that runner bean crop yields were limited by a lack of pollination; however, open‐pollinated strawberry plants produced more ‘unmarketable’ fruit suggesting there is potential for improving the delivery of pollination to strawberries grown in urban areas. Our results suggest there are potential opportunities for expanding urban food production to the benefit of both people and biodiversity. We recommend that future work should also consider the effectiveness of different insect groups in pollinating the various crops grown in urban areas.

Transformasi Bentuk Flora ke Dalam Elemen Dekorasi Interior Menggunakan Teknik Makrame

Among the people today there are still many of them who are non sensitive to the surrounding environment, from here the author provides solutions, by utilizing various media and techniques in creating fine arts, one of which is textile crafts using macrame techniques, as a reminder of the community to the environment, as well as an idea / source of inspiration for entrepreneurial ideas within the scope of the creative industry by visualizing the shapes of flora. Like the basic shape of flower petals, leaves and tree branches, making it a decorative work that is in demand by various circles. The method of creating the author using is a method that has been proposed in the art consortium carried out in stages, namely the preparation stage by searching for information, elaboration by analyzing problems, synthesis of setting ideas, realization ofsetting ideas, realization of concepts by making macrame works and stages of completion by conducting joint exhibitions. In this final work, the author produced seven interior decoration works with a wide variety of sizes and shapes, symmetrical, asymmetrical, circular and square.

A review on pharmacological activities of Eleocarpus Serratus

E. serratus tropical flowering tree belong to the family elaeocarpaceae. The fruit of the tree is frequently consumed by people and is also used in folk medicine. It is also known as Ceylon olive. According to studies, E. serratus has anti-diarrheal, analgesic and anti-arthritic properties. Investigations on other effects such as antioxidants, Antimelanogenesis and antimicrobial studies have also been conducted. The present review is an effort to give detailed survey of the literature on photochemistry of E. serratus.

The spatiotemporal signature of cherry blossom flowering across Japan revealed via analysis of social network site images

Understanding how changing climatic conditions are impacting flowering plants typically requires intensive effort and expense to sample a local site regularly over long periods of time. The logistics of organising detailed surveys of an extensive area to provide a wider perspective are even more inhibitive. Data on flower bloom patterns across areas stretching hundreds or thousands of kilometres, and with a temporal resolution down to 1 or 2 weeks, is nevertheless very valuable, should it be feasible to collect. To understand the potential for contemporary data to record such flowering patterns, we studied Japan, a country where cherry (Sakura, 桜) flower viewing (Hanami) is a national cultural practice stretching back hundreds of years, and in which contemporary citizens and visitors commonly photograph blossoms to share on social network sites (SNS). We employed the big data this activity creates, within an iEcology framework, by collecting images from the SNS Flickr over the decade 2008–2018. We developed a custom filtering pipeline to validate this extracted data against established databases of historical flowering times. Our results reveal unprecedented detail of the spatiotemporal pattern over which cherry blossoms seasonally sweep from southern to northern Japan during a 12 week period. They also were sufficiently sensitive to reveal a subtle out of peak season bloom. This novel approach and data source therefore provides a simultaneously broad and detailed perspective that communicates the seasonal ecological phenomenon of cherry tree flowering.

Persistence in allergen immunotherapy: A longitudinal, prescription data-based real-world analysis.

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a widespread disease with increasing prevalence in developed countries. The only treatment that tackles the underlying causes is allergen immunotherapy (AIT). This treatment is performed through two application routes, the subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) or the sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT). However, persistence during the long course of treatment over 3years is key for the efficacy of this treatment option. The impaired adherence significantly impacts public health resources. The aim of this study was to assess the persistence of AIT for both application routes. IQVIATM LRx was used to identify patients starting AIT between 2009 and 2018 with grass pollen (GP), early flowering tree pollen (EFTP) and house dust mite (HDM) allergens. Patients were classified within each allergen category by AIT groups (subcutaneous depigmented polymerised allergen AIT [dSCIT], other subcutaneous AIT [oSCIT] and SLIT) and age (5-11 years, 12-17 years, 18+ years). Furthermore, they were followed up for up to 3years until the cessation of treatment. Patients, who were still on treatment after 3years were deemed to be censored. Kaplan-Meier curves of persistence were generated and compared by log-rank tests. The number of patients included in the three allergen categories was 38,717GP, 23,183 EFTP, and 41,728 HDM AIT. In all allergen categories and for any product group, patient persistence decreased with increasing age class with the difference between 5-11 years and 12-17 years greater than between the latter and 18+ years. The percentage of patients completing the first year of AIT was low, particularly for SLIT where 22.2%-27.1% of patients remained persistent after 12months. The equivalent figures for dSCIT were 52.0%-64.1% and for oSCIT 38.3%-50.3%. Persistence in AIT in AR was low in this retrospective prescription-based database and was clearly linked to patient age and application route.

Nectar microbes may indirectly change fruit consumption by seed-dispersing birds

An increasing number of recent studies show that nectar-inhabiting microorganisms influence plant fitness by mediating interactions between plants and pollinators. However, whether the effects of nectar microbes extend beyond pollination to affect subsequent stages of plant reproduction remains largely unknown. This study aims to explore whether nectar microbes can indirectly affect fruit consumption by birds, which can be essential for seed dispersal and germination. Wild flowers of Eurya japonica trees were experimentally inoculated with the nectar-inhabiting yeast Metschnikowia reukaufii and the nectar-inhabiting bacterium Acinetobacter boissieri, both of which had been previously isolated frequently from E. japonica flowers. In this experiment, I examined whether these microbes changed female reproductive success of the understory tree. Experimental inoculation of flowers with yeasts decreased fruit and seed set compared to those inoculated with bacteria, and the control. Furthermore, fruits with higher seed set tended to be larger, and larger fruits were more likely to be consumed by seed-dispersing birds, including the Japanese white-eye Zosterops japonica, the brown-eared bulbul Hypsipetes amaurotis, and the Daurian redstart Phoenicurus auroreus. These results suggest that nectar-inhabiting microorganisms have the potential to affect plant reproduction by influencing not only plant-pollinator interactions, but also by indirectly modifying plant-frugivore interactions via changes in plant-pollinator interactions.

Different effects of local and landscape context on pollen foraging decisions by two managed orchard pollinators, Osmia cornuta and Bombus terrestris

Populations of managed pollinators are often introduced in agricultural fields to increase pollination levels. Ideally, managed pollinators should show a strong affinity for the target crop, which depends on innate preferences, but also on the availability of alternative co-blooming flower resources. In this study we compared pollen collection in Osmia cornuta and Bombus terrestris populations introduced in orchards, and we analysed how it is affected by local and landscape floral context. Based on pollen preferences and foraging rates of the two species, we expected O. cornuta to collect more fruit tree pollen than B. terrestris and to be less influenced by landscape factors. We sampled 16 orchards of various fruit tree species (almonds, apricots, cherries, apples). In each orchard, we characterized local flower availability and landscape composition, and identified pollen samples from 20 to 30 individuals of each pollinator species. O. cornuta collected a greater proportion of fruit tree pollen than B. terrestris (92% vs 81%), irrespective of the availability of alternative flower resources at the local and landscape levels. The diversity of pollen collected by B. terrestris increased with the availability of alternative flower resources, both at the local and landscape levels, suggesting that some of the foraging by this species took place away from the target orchard. Our results demonstrate that wild flowers do not compete with fruit tree flowers for O. cornuta visitation. Therefore, the use of managed O. cornuta populations to supplement pollination services in orchards is compatible with the implementation of agri-environmental measures (flower strips, ecological focus areas) to promote wild pollinator communities.

Effect of Adding Lemongrass Stalks on Characteristics of Herbal Drink Lemongrass - Palm Sugar as a Functional Food

Palm sugar is a product made from the sap of lontar tree flowers. Palmira Indonesia has started to develop palm sugar products in the form of powder and drinks. The addition of lemongrass stalks can be used as an alternative to improve product characteristics. This study aims to determine the effect of adding lemongrass stalks and to obtain the sensory characteristics of the lemongrass palm sugar herbal drink. This research was conducted using a completely randomized experimental design with the proportion of lemongrass stalks (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25%). The data were analyzed by analysis of variance. If significant, then proceed with Duncan's Multiple Range Test. The results showed the addition of lemongrass had a very significant effect on the scoring test of taste attributes, significantly on the hedonic test of the taste attributes and not significantly on the hedonic test of the color attribute, total acceptance, and the scoring test of the color attribute. The best treatment that can be used to make a lemongrass-sugar palm herbal drink is a 10% addition of lemongrass stalks. The panelist's acceptance of the treatment was liked for taste, color, and total acceptance attributes with the taste scoring criteria being balanced brown sugar and lemongrass and color scoring criteria being red. This treatment was also containing an antioxidant activity was 69.64% with an IC50 was 694.50 ppm, a total dissolved solid was 0.52 Brix, and a color characteristic of L* 26.9, a* 23.16, and b* 37.1 with red oxide criteria.

Agroclimatic Requirements of Traditional European Pear (Pyrus communis L.) Cultivars from Australia, Europe, and North America

Flowering in temperate fruit trees depends on the temperatures during the previous months; chill is required to overcome endodormancy, and then heat exposure is needed. These agroclimatic requirements are cultivar-specific and determine their adaptability to the growing area and their response to climate change. We aim to estimate the agroclimatic requirements of 16 traditional cultivars of European pears grown in Zaragoza (Spain). We used Partial Least Squares regression analysis to relate 20-year records of flowering dates to the temperatures of the 8 previous months. This approach allowed us to establish the chilling and forcing periods, through which we quantified temperatures with three models for chill accumulation (Chilling Hours, Utah model, and Dynamic model) and one model for heat accumulation (Growing Degree Hours). The results indicated very little difference in the chilling and forcing periods. Chill requirements ranged from 43.9 to 49.2 Chill Portions; from 1027 to 1163 Chilling Units; and from 719 to 774 Chilling Hours. Heat requirements ranged from 6514 to 7509 Growing Degree Hours. Flowering dates were mainly determined by the temperatures during the chilling period. This means that reductions in winter chill caused by global warming in many regions could cause flowering delays or even failures in the fulfillment of chill requirements.

Utility of commercial high‐resolution satellite imagery for monitoring general flowering in Sarawak, Borneo

AbstractGeneral flowering (GF), irregular synchronous mass flowering of multiple tree species across multiple families, is a unique biological phenomenon of the mixed lowland dipterocarp forest in Southeast Asia. Characterizing the spatial extent and temporal dynamics of GF is essential for an improved understanding of climate–vegetation interactions and the potential climate change impact on this species‐rich rainforest. We investigated the utility of newly available high‐temporal (daily) and high‐spatial (3–4 m) resolution remote sensing by the PlanetScope commercial satellite constellation for detecting flowering trees in a dipterocarp rainforest at Lambir Hills National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia. Our study was focused on the latest GF event known to have occurred in the region in the year 2019. PlanetScope successfully acquired 13 clear‐sky or minimally cloud‐contaminated scenes over the park during a study period of January 1, 2019 to August 31, 2019 encompassing the 2019 GF event. In situ phenology observations verified that the PlanetScope images detected the flowering crowns of tree species that turned into white or orange. This multitemporal image dataset also captured the flowering peak and species differences. The correlation coefficients between the multitemporal image signatures and in situ phenology observations were moderate to very strong (0.52–0.85). The results indicated that the 2019 GF event was a whole‐park phenomenon with the flowering peak in May. This study reports the first successful satellite‐based observations of a GF event and suggests the possibility of regional‐scale characterization of species‐level phenology in the dipterocarp forest, key information for biodiversity conservation in Southeast Asia.

Genome-wide Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Gene Regulatory Network in Star Fruit Flower Blooming

The star fruit is a perennial woody fruit tree, which can blossom and bear fruit many times a year. The time and quantity of flowering are the key indicators of its economic value. However, the flowering molecular mechanism of star fruit is still unknown. This study provides a genome-wide analysis of the key flowering genes of star fruit. Based on a previous morphological study of flower bud differentiation, the reproductive buds, vegetative buds and mature leaves of star fruit were sampled for transcriptome analysis. The results showed that the expression of GI, COL4, COL5, FT, FCA, FVE, PIF4, LFY, SVP-like, AP1 and FUL was correlated with floral induction and transition. The expression of TFL1, SVP-like genes (Yangtao2015203 and Yangtao2021074) was correlated with the inhibition of floral transition. Thus, we proposed a putative network of flower blooming in star fruit. This study provides useful information for investigating the genetic mechanism of flowering in star fruit and other perennial woody fruit trees.

Increasing Risk of Spring Frost Occurrence during the Cherry Tree Flowering in Times of Climate Change

Climate change affects the agroecological conditions and persistence of cherry tree flowering. Detailed evaluation of minimum air temperature and occurrence of synoptic events occurrence during spring frosts within the cherry tree flowering in the Czech Republic (Central Europe) is missing. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the above-mentioned variables during the cherry tree flowering in different parts of the country from 1924 to 2012. Our question was how the frequency of frost days occurrence changed during the cherry tree flowering. A trend analysis was conducted with the Mann-Kendall test. The onset of the beginning of flowering and end of flowering shifted to an earlier date per the whole examined period (up to −13.9 and −8.1 days) and the period of flowering extended (up to 4.1 days). The shifts were more pronounced at higher elevations. During the period of the cherry tree flowering, the trend in change of the number of frost days was negative at the lowland station (−0.3 day) and positive at the highland station (+1.2 day). At all stations, “Ap3” synoptic event (anticyclone) occurrence during cherry tree flowering on days with the highest spring frost risk (Tmin at 2 m < −1.1 °C) prevailed. The positive trend of frost-day occurrence and the negative trend of minimum air temperature in cherry tree flowering indicate that blossoms are more endangered at higher elevations.

Native fauna interact differently with native and alien trees in a tropical megacity

The negative effects of invasive alien plant species on natural ecosystems are well known. However, in rapidly growing cities, alien plants can provide native fauna with resources otherwise lost due to the biotic homogenization, which is common to urban ecosystems. Interactions of native fauna with alien flora have thus far focused largely on invertebrate pollinators in temperate cities in the northern hemisphere. Cities in tropical areas, however, are larger and are growing more rapidly, and host a variety of vertebrate pollinators. Understanding how birds and mammals interact with native and alien flora in these megacities could improve management of urban ecosystems in highly biodiverse regions while limiting invasion potential. Therefore, here we investigate whether native diurnal birds and mammals interact differently with native versus alien trees in Bengaluru, India where historical planting has led to an abundance of alien tree species. We find that tree origin alone was not an important predictor for bird species richness and abundance, but taller native trees with large floral display sizes were more species rich than alien trees of similar floral displays. As expected from their shared evolutionary history, nectarivorous birds fed from native trees more often in a manner that could facilitate pollination, but engaged in nectar theft more often with alien trees. Squirrels (the mammal observed most frequently to interact with flowers) were more likely, however, to depredate flowers of native trees. Our results suggest alien trees can be an important resource for fauna in expanding urban areas, and that nectar theft by birds could reduce the seed set of alien trees.

POLLEN QUALITY AND SELECTION OF POLLINATORS OF CULTIVARS OF COLUMNAR TYPE APPLE

The apple tree (Malus domestica Borkh.) is a flowering tree whose productivity depends on successful cross-pollination. The efficiency of the pollination process significantly affects the quantity and quality of apple fruits. In addition to the basic requirements for fruit set and tree productivity, the presence of different pollen sources (different cultivars of the orchard) has a positive effect on fruit quality parameters. It is possible to make a profit from an apple orchard several years after planting, so the choice of cultivar is very important, because the economic feasibility of growing plants depends on it. The purpose of this study was to determine the viability of pollen of columnar apple cultivars and the selection of pollinator cultivar. The research was carried out during 2019–2022 at the V. L. Symyrenko Department of Horticulture of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine. According to the results of the research, it was established that in the conditions of the Western Forest Steppe of Ukraine, the investigated columnar varieties form pollen of medium viability, pollen tubes reach a medium length, insufficient cross-fertility is observed, and the best pollinators for them are universal pollinators, Golden Gem’ and Professor Springer’ cultivars. In general, columnar fruit set is good from free pollination. Several conditions are necessary for satisfactory cross-pollination, namely: flowering of the pollinator cultivar must be simultaneous with the main cultivar; the pollinator cultivar must have pollen of high viability; the location of the pollinator cultivar should be near the fruit-bearing tree; the garden requires the presence of bees and other insects during flowering.

Luffa Cylindrica (L.) As Potential Foraging Source For Insect Pollinators During Post Monsoon Season – A Study In Gangetic Plain Of West Bengal

Pollination is an important ecosystem service and insects play the most vital role of its. Insect pollinators need good foraging resources all year long to survive, which are provided by both wild and cultivated plants. However, although being crucial for pollinator survival during scarcity, these wild plants receive little attention. Present study had been carried out in Gangetic plain of West Bengal to document the potentiality of the wild creeping plant, Luffa cylindrica L. as foraging resource for insect pollinators during the post monsoon season, when flowering in major trees is sparse. Active netting explore diversity of flower visitors, while palynological study confirms the pollen foraging activity of two reared honey bees, Apis mellifera L. and Apis cerana indica F. on the creeper. Insects belonged to orders viz. Hymenoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera and Coleoptera were found to visit. Hymenopterans were the major insect visitors comprising 66.34% of total. Palynological study revealed that Apis mellifera and Apis cerana indica togetherly visit 17 and 16 plant species for pollen collection during the study months. In October, Luffa cylindrica contributed 10.53% and 11.27% of total pollen taxa foraged by Apis mellifera and Apis cerana indica respectively and grouped as important minor pollen for the honey bees. However, in the month of November it contributed 11.84% and 9.88% of total respectively. Being a creeper, however, these are not given much protection and are often weeded out, which can have a negative impact on native pollinator populations foraging on the crops.