Geographical study and identification of plants with apicultural potential in Nayarit, Mexico

Abstract

Mexico is one of the main honey producing and exporting countries worldwide, this production depends on the quantity and botanical diversity found regionally, the characteristics of honey, its price and demand depend on it, hence the importance that beekeepers and authorities be aware of the geographical distribution and flowering times of plants with apicultural potential. This study aims to locate and to identify the plants with apicultural potential in the state of Nayarit. Given to this, a group of experienced beekeepers were surveyed. The producers reported the type of flowers that bees regularly visit and their common local names for each plant. Every site and apiary were visited, locating them with geolocator and direct observations were made. Additionally, photographs of the flowers were taken, and samples of plants were collected for their identification. In the present study, 1,274 plant-samples were collected, and 82 different species were identified with the corresponding scientific name, common name, photograph, and geographic location, as well as 95 species were also identified with only common and scientific names. The work completed represents the first census of species whose flowering is of importance in the production of honey in the Nayarit region.

http://dx.doi.org/10.37114/abaagrof/2020.8       

e2020-10