Insect Pollinators and Plant Interactions;Identification of Selected Melliferous PlantsUsing Pollen Morphological Features

In this study, we explored the palynological features of melliferous taxa from different areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.We collected and identified eight species belonging to four different families, including Brassica campestris, Brassica juncea, Brassica oleracea, Eruca sativa, Chorispora tenella, Cicer arietinum, Saccharum spontaneum, and Asphodelus tenuifolius.Under microscopy examination, pollen grains exhibit diverse shapes, including oblate-spheroidal and prolate-spheroidal shapes.With the help of statistical software IBM SPSS Statistics 20, the quantitative data of pollen grains was measured.In this study, Asphodelus tenuifolius were reported to have a maximum polar diameter of 46.29 m and Brassica oleracea had a minimum of 17.97 m.The apertures of these pollen grains range from monocolpate to tricolpate.Exine sculpturing exhibited psilate and reticulate patterns, with no presence of spines.Quantitative features, such as polar diameter, equatorial diameter, exine thickness, colpi length, colpi width, and P/E ratio, were studied using light microscopy.The data was statistically analyzed using IBM SPSS software.The result of the present study showed the vital role of pollen morphology in plant identification, floral calendar preparation, and honey production in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.The study presents a novel approach and perspective on honey pollen profiles, revealing the plants visited by honeybees for food.Furthermore, the research contributes to enhancing honey production and improving pollination services.