Honey Plants Research Articles

Bioresource potential of honey-making lands during the succession of forest vegetation

The results of the studies of honey-making lands on forest and non-forest lands of the forest fund of the Kemerovo region are presented. The assessment of honey-making resources by categories of forest lands for honey collection and bioresource potential of lands for honey collection in the process of succession of forest vegetation was carried out. The study of the species composition of honey plants was carried out in 2018–2022 on various categories of lands. The research was carried out in accordance with the generally accepted methods of conducting research in beekeeping. The accounting of honey plants was carried out on transects and discount areas using the methodology of forest taxation. It is established that microclimatic and forest-growing conditions of honey-making lands change during the succession of forest vegetation. Siberian pea-tree, willow family, Tartarian honey-suckle and edible honeysuckle, forest raspberry and the representatives of herbaceous phytocenoses - Siberian garden angelica, rosebay willowherb - are noted on clearings with high honey productivity. Honey productivity of the lands not covered with forest vegetation, on clearings, and in taiga forests is 229.4 kg/ha. The bioresource potential of the lands for honey collection amounted to 68,464 kg on forest lands not covered with forest vegetation within the radius of the apiary on the area of 414 hectares. The honey stock of 88,600 kg makes it possible to keep 738 bee colonies on the registration plot. The obtained reliable scientific information from the practical side is necessary for the adjustment of forest plans of the territories and for the timely planning and organization of the territory of apiaries.

Experience in optimizing the pollination of fruit crops

Studying the dependence of the yield and quality of fruit crops on pollination by bees is necessary, among other things, from the point of view of the protection of bees and biodiversity. Perennial fruit plantations in the Rostov region occupy 30 thousand hectares. Fruit trees such as apricot, quince, plum, cherry, sweet cherry, pear, and apple are essential honey plants for bees. The study aimed to develop methods and techniques for optimising the pollination of fruit crops based on established flowering periods and varietal characteristics of plants and determining the bioresource potential of gardens in the region. Using the method of accumulating sums of effective temperatures, it was established that the flowering of gardens begins with the mass flowering of apricot in the second ten days of April and ends with the flowering of quince at the end of May. The average duration of flowering of plants was 7–14 days. Observations of yield dynamics showed an increase in the number of fruits when optimising pollination by 20–27 times in cherries and sweet cherries. Taking into account the changes in the natural and climatic conditions of the Rostov region when moving through the territory, the physiological characteristics of fruit trees, as well as the mutual pollination of different varieties, the timing of migrations of bee colonies for cross-pollination and planting patterns when planting an orchard are proposed. Monitoring of the bioresource potential of gardens showed that the total area of parks in the region is 27 thousand hectares, with a bioresource potential for honey collection of 434.1 tons. The most significant bioresource potential for honey collection is characterised by the area of gardens in the territory of the 4th honey collection district (154.1 tons). In the 1st region, this figure is 95.5 tons, slightly less in the 3rd region - 73.4 tons. Using all listed methods for regulating work with an apiary and agricultural technology for growing gardens will create conditions for increasing their productivity by 10.8 times, or by 73.3%.

ASSESSMENT OF ECONOMICALLY USEFUL TRAITS OF BEE BREED IN THE SOUTHERN OF KAZAKHSTAN

Uncontrolled import of bee colonies leads to the metisation of bred breeds in our country. Breed testing of bees involves identifying the most promising breeds not only for the use of various sources of bribes, but also for accelerated development and increase in the number of families, and of course pollination of crops. To prevent the metisation of bees, researchers periodically monitor the breed composition and economically useful signs. It has been established that the growth rate of a bee family characterizes its winter hardiness and directly affects productivity. Based on this feature, queen bees with the highest egg production should be selected for breeding. More dynamic egg laying is observed in IE "Demidov" of the steppe zone averaged 919.6 pieces, and in IE "Gostinin" of the steppe zone, the egg production of queens is less by 2 pieces. The foothill and mountain zone lags behind the steppe zone by 14.6 eggs. The productivity of bee colonies also depends on the number of migrations to flowering honey plants. For example, when comparing the average honey productivity and wax productivity, variability is observed between stationary and nomadic content.

Ecological risks of pesticide pollution of beekeeping products

The article is focused on the actuality of the ecological risks researching of pesticide pollution of agricultural soils, which are the feed and raw material base for beekeeping. There is mentioned the importance of permanent control over the content of dangerous toxicants, in particular chlororganic pesticides, in the bee honey and other beekeeping products in the article. The results of researching the content of residual amounts of persistent chlororganic pesticides hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) and dichlorodiphenyltrichlormethylmethane (DDT) in samples of the sunflower honey which are taken from the bee farm of three administrative districts of Cherkasy region are presented. Significant pollution of the sunflower honey from the bee farm which is placed in the village of Novoselytsia by residual amounts of pesticides is detected, the concentration of the sum of metabolites and isomers DDT exceeding the maximum allowable standards in 1.3 to 2.3 times. It should be noted that the determined concentrations of the above mentioned pesticide in the soil (from 6.41 to 23.53 mcg/kg for the MRL is equal 100 mcg/kg) cannot be a source of significant pollution of bee honey. It is suggested that the reason for the xenobiotic entering to bee products through the biological cycle (soil – honey plant – honey) is the presence in the range of honey collection area of anonactive compound of toxic chemicals, which is a powerful source of toxicants, including pesticides into environmental objects. It is detected the direct correlation dependance between the content of pesticides in honey and their concentration in the soil (in the range from r=0.61 for the village of Stebne to r=0.98 for villages of Novoselytsia and Chervone). The importance of assessment of ecological risks of environmental pollution by pesticide residues was proved, since even a small concentration of a toxic substance in soil, water, air, nectar or pollen of honey plants often leads to massive damage and death of bees. It is noted that honey can be used as a suitable bioindicator for assessing the ecological risks of environmental pollution by toxic substances, including chlororganic pesticides.

Field forest strips of the Middle Dnipro Area Forest- Steppe as raw areas for beekeeping

Studying the supply of beekeeping industry with a spectrum of nectar- and pollen-bearing plants is quite important for increasing the quantitative saturation of bee colonies in certain areas. To do this, it is necessary to analyze the entire phytodiversity of artificially created plantations, spontaneous and natural forest communities, which are widespread on the territory of the Middle Dnipro Area Forest-Steppe. We previously investigated the participation of these raw plants from the list of tree and shrub species of forest plantations of this territory, and in this work we analyzed the full participation of available plant species in the groupings of field protection forest strips. Analysis of the spreading of nectar-bearing and pollen-bearing species made it possible to identify 91 species of plants that have a diverse representation in these plant communities. The most valuable raw material species are Tilia cordata Mill. and Robinia pseudoacacia L., which prevail in some of the studied groups and are promising for the main productive honey collection. Also, in these plantations there are some species with a fairly high value of raw materials, but they mostly have a small spreading. In ad- dition, a significant widespread group of plants was noted, but they do not belong to good honey plants. The investigated plantations in the combination of tree, shrub and herbaceous plant species present in them can also be actively used by bees as a source of supporting food practically throughout the entire period of their flight activity. Especially important is the use of field-protective forest strips as raw land, due to their frequent finding near settlements where apiaries are usually located, as well as the possible use of protective forest plantations for the location of apiaries during migrations. A partial correction of the values of nectar and pollen activity of individual species and the total raw value of some of these species was also performed

The effect of weather conditions on the seasonal rhythm of plant development of Amur cork tree (<i>Phellodendron amurense</i>rupr.) in the forest-steppe of the Ob region

Background. Amur cork tree is a valuable woody plant of great economic importance. Its bark, liber, leaves, and fruits are successfully used in medicine and cosmetology. This tree is very ornamental and serves as is a good honey plant. It can be a potential source of industrial cork. Due to its properties and relative unpretentiousness, Amur cork tree may be of interest for introduction. In this regard, the aim of the research was to study the peculiarities of the influence of weather conditions on the seasonal rhythm of plant development for Amur cork tree (Phellodendron amurense Rupr.) under the conditions of the foreststeppe in the Ob region.Materials and methods. Thirty two Amur cork trees were used as the material for the study. These trees were successfully introduced in the forest-steppe of the Ob region. Phenological observations to evaluate the rhythm of seasonal growth were carried out according to the methodological recommendations of I. D. Yurkevich and coauthors. The Pearson correlation coefficient (r) was used to identify the dependence of the rhythm of seasonal growth on weather conditions.Results. The plants of Amur cork tree were found to be successfully adapted to the conditions of the arboretum of the Siberian Research Institute of Plant Production and Breeding. It was shown that in the year with the highest sum of effective temperatures (2020), the duration of interphase periods was on average 2 days shorter than in other years. At the same time, in the coldest year (2018), the plants did not have time to complete their leaf fall before the snow cover appeared. The vegetation of Amur cork tree was observed to start in mid-May. The completion of the growing season varies greatly from year to year. Conclusion. It was established that the seasonal development of Amur cork tree in the forest-steppe of the Ob region corresponded to the features specific to the development of this species within its natural range.

Features of growth and development of Lavandula angustifolia when grown under drip irrigation conditions in the Southern Steppe zone of Ukraine

In the context of climate change, agriculture must respond to new challenges – one of them is the search for and adaptation of new plant varieties in areas where they have not been grown on an industrial scale. The research aims to investigate the effect of biological treatment on the growth and development of Lavandula angustifolia under different irrigation methods to increase the efficiency of its use as an industrial crop in the Southern Steppe zone of Ukraine. The species L. angustifolia is primarily important as an essential oil crop and is used in the preparation of food and beverages, perfumery, medicine, pharmacy, cosmetics, industry, for air purification from particulate matter in urban plantations, as a honey plant and for decorative purposes. In the research. A randomized scheme of blocks with a 2x2 factorial arrangement was used with two bacterial preparations (“Azogran A” and “Biocomplex BTU”) and two moisture levels (80-70-70% MHC and 90-80-70% MHC) in triple repetition. Plants in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year of vegetation were analysed following several factors, such as the beginning and end of the vegetative phase, the beginning of the budding phase, the flowering period, and the ratio of these indicators to the amount of heat received during the growing season. Phenotypic characteristics, green and dry mass yields, percentage of essential oils, and conditional yields were also evaluated under all the studied conditions. Overall, it was established, that the biggest stimulative effect on the growth of L. angustifolia was found when growing lavender under the irrigation regime of 90-80-70% MHC with double top dressing of plantings in the budding phase “Biocomplex BTU” – these plants were the most developed and had noticeably higher dry mass and theoretical yield. Therefore, the control of irrigation and treatment with biological products makes the prospect of industrial lavender cultivation in the Southern Steppe of Ukraine more accessible

НАУЧНОЕ ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЕ ИННОВАЦИОННОГО РАЗВИТИЯ ЦИФРОВЫХ ТЕХНОЛОГИЙ В ПЧЕЛОВОДСТВЕ

This article discusses the modern application of digital technologies in the monitoring and protection of bees. Traditional beekeeping is faced with a number of issues of conservation from the negative impact of chemicals. The use of chemical preparations for plant growth in crop production has a detrimental effect on them. Today, a large number of agricultural holdings use chemicals in agriculture and forestry, while not coordinating the processing rules in the vicinity of apiaries. On the basis of the adopted Federal Law of December 30, 2020 N 490-FZ (as amended on June 11, 2021) "On beekeeping in the Russian Federation". According to the rules, agricultural enterprises and organizations, as a result of the use of chemicals for the treatment of honey plants, are obliged to notify enterprises, institutions, organizations and beekeepers that have apiaries within a radius of up to 7 km from the treated areas in writing or through the local press 5 days before the start of work. , report on the drug used, its toxicity and the timing of isolation. But due to the fact that there is no consistency between agricultural enterprises and apiary farms, it becomes necessary to use a modern digital service to timely identify and prevent the causes of bee death. Considering the traditional maintenance of bee colonies, the article provides the use of modern digital technologies to protect bees from external climatic and internal factors of keeping bee colonies. Based on the results of the data obtained, it is proposed to use analytical data for the timely resolution of life support issues for bee colonies. At the same time, a system of digital service for monitoring and controlling bee colonies is being considered, and the use of a digital service in beekeeping is being carried out: a smart hive, digital beekeeper programs.

КАЧЕСТВЕННАЯ ОЦЕНКА МЁДА ПАСЕК ТЮМЕНСКОЙ ОБЛАСТИ

The article presents data on diastase activity and pollen analysis of honey from apiaries in the south of the Tyumen region. The research was conducted in the period 2017–2022. Honey maturation is a complex biochemical process in which biologically active substances, which include lysozyme and amylase, formed in the digestive glands of worker bees, play a significant role. Lysozyme provides bactericidal properties of honey, amylase – breaks down complex carbohydrates to their monomers. When conducting a pollen analysis of honey, it was revealed that the honey of apiaries in the south of the Tyumen region is polyfloric, since pollen grains of various honey plants were identified in the honey samples studied, which included linden, sweet clover, rapeseed, esparcet, surepka, dandelion, clover, osot. The results of the determination of diastase activity showed that in the experimental samples of honey, the diastase number was in the redistribution from 13,9 to 20,4 units, high diastase activity characterizes the quality of honey, because after undergoing a long-term biochemical treatment, it is more saturated with enzymes and biologically active substances. According to the research results, honey with high diastase activity includes samples from apiaries of Yalutorovsky and Isetsky districts.

Apifloristic diversity in the eastern Mediterranean region: Implications for biodiversity conservation and use

The ecological role of honeybees in the world and their value for sustainable agriculture and food industry are more important than ever. For this reason, we study the apiflora in the eastern Mediterranean region of Turkiye in the context of planning bee forests aimed at biodiversity conservation. The results show that honeybee forests are quite rich in both endemism and apifloristic diversity. A total of 511 plant taxa belonging to 264 genera and 59 families were identified, of which 335 (65%) taxa were evaluated as nectar (N) and/or pollen (P) bearing honey plants (45 N, 54 P, and 236 N&P). In terms of apiflora, the richest families are Fabaceae (n=76, 3 N, 73 N&P), Lamiaceae (n=57, 19 N, 38 N&P) and Asteraceae (n=44, 1 N, 10 P, 33 N&P). Nectariferous plants were more common at higher elevations, while polleniferous plants were more common at lower elevations. According to the Shannon-Wiener diversity index, the highest diversity values were found in honeybee forests at higher elevations and the lowest diversity values at lower elevations. Sorensen analysis also showed that floristic similarities among honeybee forests ranged from 1% to 42%. Cluster analysis supported these differences by dividing the forests into two separate groups.

The Impact of Conservative Soil Maintenance Practices in Vineyards on Soil Microbial Diversity and on the Biodiversity of Useful and Harmful Entomofauna

In the context of actual climatic changes, which led to an increase of soil hydric stress, new agrotechnical solutions were experimented to ensure a moisture preservation in soil and the conservation of soil microbial activity. These included the use of mulching systems and the cover crops, in order to replace the use of the classical black furrow system. In this respect, the aim of our study was to evaluate the influence of the use of soil mulching systems and of the cover crops in vineyards on the microbial biodiversity of the soil and on the biodiversity of the useful and harmful entomofauna, in comparison with the classical maintenance system, represented by black furrow. The researches were performed during two particularly dry years in two experimental plots located in Valea Cǎlugǎrescǎ viticultural center. In one of them were experimented, as soil maintenance systems, the total straw mulching and the partial mulching (interval between rows) with marc compost, in the other the artificial grassing of the interval between rows with ornamental clover Nano and with honey plants represented by Melilotus officinalis. The experimental data have shown the positive effect of mulching systems on soil microbial activity, highlighted by an increase of soil microbial load and of its diversity (represented by bacteria, fungi, algae and protozoa), especially in case of mulching with marc compost (15.94 million microorganisms/g of soil, as compared with 5.9 million in case of black furrow system). Also, the ratio between fungi and bacteria was higher in case of partial mulching, this aspect being a favorable factor for soil biological activity. The use of cover crops indicated a positive effect in the increasing of useful entomofauna, belonging to the orders Ortoptera, Coleoptera and Arahnidae (especially in case of the artificial grassing).

Turkish Migratory Beekeepers’ Opinions Towards the Current State and Problems of Apiculture Sector: A Descriptive Study in Afyonkarahisar

This research was carried out to examine the opinions of the migratory beekeepers in Afyonkarahisar regarding the current situation and problems of the sector. A total of 37 items were assembled under four subgroups in the questionnaire to collect the research data. The questionnaire was applied through face-to-face interviews with beekeepers during the visits to the apiaries of the enterprises. The migratory beekeepers emphasized that marketing is the most crucial problem. They stressed that the marketing assembled with a small number of intermediary companies and the labeling not based on branding and quality standards reduce the retail price of bee products. Other significant problems were unannounced agricultural pesticide spraying, increasing decline in the flora of honey plants, high equipment costs, and the lack of specific legislation for migratory beekeeping. Also, it has been stated that there were challenges in obtaining quality queen bees, finding location areas and meeting the living needs on the migration route, and accessing training on topics such as bee diseases, organic beekeeping, and Apitherapy. As a result, it has been concluded that supporting migratory beekeepers with good input and marketing management, regulations that will facilitate migration and beekeeper accommodation, and policies to increase product quality and bee health can significantly contribute to improving their capacity to adapt to innovative and competitive national strategies to be developed for beekeeping in the future.

Features of creating fast-growing and multifunctional field-protecting forest strips in the Forest-Steppe zone of Ukraine

To ensure the maximum protection of agricultural crops from climatic factors unfavorable for their growth and development, it is necessary to create an optimal number of field protection forest strips. In particular, for the Forest-Steppe zone of Ukraine, less than half of the optimal needs are available, which indicates an urgent need for their additional creation. The expediency of creating fast-growing and multifunctional field forest strips is substantiated, and the productivity of new bioenergy crops during their formation for use in beekeeping and as biofuel is determined. For this purpose, a model of the artificial formation of a forest strip with its possible further exploitation is proposed. The most optimal one is to develop the concept of creating field forest strips with the use of multifunctional tree species, which, in addition to the function of wind, water and dust retention, will also perform other economic tasks. In particular, along with their intended purpose, they can be used as raw materials for biofuel production and as early honey plants. For the accelerated creation of field protection forest strips, it is advisable to use mixed 6–8- row plantings, where the middle 2–3 rows are planted with the involvement of tree species, including the use of species valuable as raw materials for beekeeping. These forest strips are complemented on both sides by planted strips of energy crops, which are important for beekeeping and are a valuable resource for obtaining fuel raw materials. For this purpose, it is advisable to plant 10–12 thousand pieces on one hectare poplar cuttings (Populus sp.), 1250 pieces of paulownia plants (Paulownia tomentosa Steud.) with a row width of 2×4 m and 17–18 thousand pieces cuttings of energy willow (Salix viminalis L.). It is also possible to replace part of the poplar cuttings with cuttings of common robinia (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) and linden (Tilia cordata Mill.). The creation of such plantations near settlements will contribute to their significant use of raw materials and will be quite effective in carrying out their main function of ecological stabilization of agro-landscapes.

Hidden reserves of the Vasyugan swamps for the production of beekeeping products

In recent years, the demand for organic products has increased on the world market, including environmentally friendly and healthy beekeeping bioproducts. Organic beekeeping currently exists in 60 countries around the world. In our country, there are vast territories for creating apiaries of a new topical direction. These territories are located north of the Trans-Siberian Railway from the right bank of the Irtysh to the left bank of the Ob - these are the Vasyugan swamps. Administratively, Vasyuganye unites the Omsk, Tomsk, and Novosibirsk regions. This territory is located in the wind rose, where the air masses of cities with industrial gases bypass it. Therefore, bee products collected by bees do not contain harmful elements. At present almost no one lives here and does not engage in agriculture. As a result of a survey of the natural forage base of the Vasyugan swamps, the authors discovered the most important honey plants and perganos. These are common coltsfoot, soft fluffy lungwort, marsh marigold, medicinal dandelion, late dandelion, Asian bathing suit, willows, warty birch, fluffy birch, ivy-like budra, bird cherry, white clover, black currant, yellow acacia, Siberian snakehead, chistets swamp, forest kupyr, mouse peas, thin-leaved peas, meadow geranium, forest geranium, forest raspberry, dissected cow parsnip, forest angelica, common goutweed, wild parsnip, common serpukha, field bodyak. Thus, this area is a rich pasture for bees. The authors recommend sowing wastelands with yellow sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis L.) and white sweet clover (Melilotus albus Medik.) if it is expedient to organize apiaries in Vasyuganye. This area will always be well visited by bees and provide honey collection from 5 to 10 kg per day for several years.

A review on invasive false indigo bush (Amorpha fruticosa L.): Nuisance plant with multiple benefits.

Increased mobility of people around the globe has facilitated transferring species to new environments, where some have found suitable conditions and even become invasive. False indigo‐bush (Amorpha fruticosa L.) is a plant native to North America but has intentionally or unintentionally spread over the Northern Hemisphere, where it often becomes invasive. The plant is especially easily dispersed within the watersheds of large rivers, where seasonal flooding is regular. Seeds and other propagules are buoyant, and when the water recedes, new plants emerge, forming dense thickets where only a few other species can co‐exist. In order to sustain native biodiversity, spread control is needed. However, mechanical control and eradication measures currently in use are labor demanding and costly, while application of herbicides is limited. On the other hand, the plant possesses a number of beneficial properties, such as phytochemical applications (medical and insecticidal effects), biocoenotic uses (honey plant, ornamental features), and ecosystem services (soil stabilization, provision of food for animals, and fiber and biomass for industry, e.g., nanocellulose). For the reasons above mentioned, the plant is considered quite controversial, and the paper discusses both aspects: potential detrimental effects when introduced to new habitats and its beneficial uses for human society. In addition, the paper presents alternative measures of spreading control (e.g., grazing) and argues that exploiting it for beneficial purposes might help spread control, thus covering the expenses of controlling its distribution.

Dynamics of the species composition of honey plants on postagrogenic and forest lands

Data on the dynamics of the species composition of resource plants on postagrogenic and forest lands are presented. The object of the study is abandoned arable land and fields, felling with the growth of pine and felling with forest crops. Over the period from 2006 to 2021, the species composition and the projective cover of vegetation have changed. Judging by the value of the coefficient of floristic generality of P. Jaссard, the species on postagrogenic and forest lands in 2006 coincided only by 27%, and 15 years later - by 36%. Thus, as the forest environment is formed on abandoned agricultural lands, the species composition of vegetation on these categories of land is leveled. The honey productivity of plants on postagrogenic lands is generally higher than on forest lands. The purpose of the study is to establish the dynamics and features of overgrowth of post-agrogenic lands with woody vegetation and honey plants.

Ізоляція та заміна бджолиних маток за умов медозбору

Goal. To study the regulation of reproduction of bee families by the method of isolation and replacement of bee queens under the conditions of honey collection. Methods. Laboratory (the determination of external signs and the degree of development of the fat body of bees), zootechnical (the selection of groups of analogs, accounting for egg production of queen bees, strength of the bee colony, nectar supply), phenological (the accounting of environmental temperature, flowering periods of honey plants), statistical (the biometric processing of experimental data). Biometric data processing was carried out on a PC using MS Excel software with built-in statistical functions. A comparative assessment was carried out and the expediency of isolation and replacement of bee queens and their influence on the functional state of bee colonies, and the dynamics of nectar flow under honey collection conditions were experimentally proven. Results. Increased honey productivity was fixed in a group of bee families where older queen bees were replaced by young fertile ones. This replacement option was characterized by the minimum duration of the period of transition processes in bee colonies. The decrease in the number of brood in bee colonies, where queen bees were isolated for a long period, harmed their reproductive capacity and, in the future, the strength of bee colonies during the formation of the foundation of the winter club. Isolation and replacement of bee queens for a short period compared to a long one had a positive effect on the degree of development of the fat body of bees. Conclusions. The use of methods of isolation and replacement of bee queens for the period of short honey collections (for 15 days) has been proven and recommended. A long period of isolation of bee queens negatively affected their reproductive capacity, honey productivity, and then the strength of bee colonies during preparation for the period of hypobiosis.

Review on Lemon Balm Herb and its Evaluation

The development of drugs from medicinal herbs may be good to find novel therapeutic agents in the treatment of anxiety. Melissa officinalis L. (lemon balm) belongs to the Lamiaceae family and grows widely in the Mediterranean region, western Asia, southwestern Siberia, and northern Africa. Melissa officinalis L. has been used in traditional medicine to treat headaches, indigestion, colic, nervousness, cardiac failure and depression. In addition, it has been reported in several researches that lemon balm had many beneficial effects such as anti-inflammatory and ant nociceptive, Antioxidant. leaves contain several classes of constituents including polyphenolic compounds (rosmarinic acid, caffeic acid and protocatechuic acid), essential oils (geranial, neral, citronellal, geraniol, beta-pinene, alpha-pinene, beta-caryophyllene, germacrene D, and ocimene), monotherpenoid aldehydes, sesquiterpenes, flavonoids (luteolin) and tannins. The aims of this study were to evaluate the phytochemical screening of ethanolic extract of Melissa officinalis L. One study examined a chemically-validated essential oil derived from Melissa and found that Melissa inhibited binding of GABAA to receptor channel in the rat forebrain, but had no effect on or nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (Abuhamdah et al., 2008). They also found that Melissa elicited a significant dose-dependent reduction in both inhibitory and excitatory transmission.. The aromatic balm leaves are often used in beverages and as a seasoning in salads, dressings and sauces, as well as in cooked foods, e.g., in soups and stews. Some vernacular names are balm, common balm, blue balm, dropsy plant, honey plant, Herzkraut, citronelle, cytria, cedronella.

Differences in the Pollen Content of Varieties of Polish Honey from Urban and Rural Apiaries

Abstract The value of honey as a natural food product is influenced by its pollen content, with the dominant type of pollen conferring specific medicinal properties. The present study examines the pollen spectra of 31 honeys from urban (linden, acacia, polyfloral, honeydew) and rural (rape, acacia, polyfloral, honeydew) apiaries in Poland. The pollen in content in honey ranged from 0.2 to 88 %. In total, 76 plant taxa were identified, 21 of which were assigned to forms A, B and C. Higher pollen grain content and a greater diversity of honey plant taxa were found in the urban honey, particularly polyfloral honey; this could be attributed to the rich variety of plants found in urban green areas compared to rural areas ones.

Effect of Hormonal Priming and Osmopriming on Germination of Winter Savory (Satureja montana L.) Natural Population under Drought Stress

Winter savory (Satureja montana L.) is an important medicinal, aromatic, and honey plant. In Croatia, it is widely distributed along the Adriatic coast, where it is frequently exposed to droughts. First, the winter savory natural population with the highest germination across different drought treatments after hydropriming was selected. Nine hundred seeds from each of the three natural populations (P1, P2, and P3) were hydroprimed (dH2O) for 48 h. The seeds were then germinated in drought treatments with different concentrations of polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000) (−0, −0.2, −0.4, −0.8, −1.2, −1.6, −2, −2.5, −3.0 MPa). Since P1 showed the best results in germination parameters, it was used for the second phase of the experiment, where the effect of hormonal priming (100 and 400 ppm GA3, 48 h in the dark) and osmopriming (0.2% and 0.6% w/v KNO3, 72 h in the dark) on seed germination and seedling morphological parameters of the selected winter savory population under drought stress conditions (−0.8 and −2.5 MPa) was evaluated. Although winter savory grows in dry areas, this study showed that extremely dry conditions (−3.0 and −2.5 MPa) negatively affected seed germination, but this effect can be mitigated by priming treatments, especially with the hormonal priming (GA3 400 ppm).