HONEY PLANTS
A significant support in the implementation of the Food Program comes from products obtained from honey plants.
In recent years, beekeeping has become one of the most important sectors of agriculture.
It not only provides valuable food and medicinal substances (honey, bee venom, propolis, royal jelly), as well as raw materials for industry (wax), but also contributes to a significant increase in the yield of agricultural crops.
According to the Scientific Research Institute of Beekeeping, bees increase the yield of fruit crops by more than 25%, clover by 50%, and sunflowers and buckwheat by 30 percent.
According to other data from the Beekeeping Department of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Kyrgyz SSR, "the yield of seeds of sainfoin and alfalfa when pollinated by bees increases by 50-60%, fruit crops by 40-60%, cotton by 20-30%, cucumbers by 25%, and melons by 100%. It is also noted that the income from agricultural crops with intensive bee pollination is 10-15 times higher than the income from honey and wax.
In a number of collective farms in the Russian Federation, beekeeping accounts for 80% of all income.
Another useful feature of beekeeping should be noted. It is known that many wild insects harm agricultural plants, feeding on the nectar and pollen of honey plants. If beekeeping is developed in a given area and bees, while collecting nectar and pollen from the flowers of plants, reduce the food available to wild insects, they thereby contribute to the displacement and reduction of wild insects, and consequently to the decrease in damage caused by pest insects to agricultural plants.
However, to organize the high-yielding beekeeping we mentioned, it is necessary to have a good knowledge of the honey plants of the region and to use them rationally.
In Kyrgyzstan, honey plants are available throughout the entire growing season at different altitudinal zones of the mountains.
There are over 400 species of honey and pollen plants in Kyrgyzstan. They are particularly abundant in the zones of nut-bearing, spruce, juniper, fir-spruce, and poplar-willow forests, as well as in meadows and among shrubs. Even in the deserts and steppes of Kyrgyzstan, beekeeping can be successfully practiced by utilizing honey and pollen plants in the spring and early autumn periods when the flora of the steppes and deserts is rich in ephemeral and ephemeroid honey plants.
It should be noted that despite the prevalence of honey and pollen plants in Kyrgyzstan, they have received little attention from botanists so far. Therefore, summarizing personal long-term observations and literary data, we will attempt to describe the most common and economically important honey and pollen plants of Kyrgyzstan.
However, it should be noted that the same plants in different growing areas and depending on soil characteristics, climate, and other factors can have different honey productivity: their nectar often differs in sugar content and the uniqueness of chemical composition. For example, M. M. Glukhov notes: "The flowers of honey plants at significant altitudes differ in brightness of color and secrete more nectar than in lowland areas. Increased nectar secretion in these conditions is caused by more intense lighting and a more significant difference in day and night temperatures. At an altitude of 2700 m, the chemical activity of sunlight is 11% higher than at sea level. Under stronger lighting, the leaf mechanism works faster, and sugar is produced more abundantly. On the other hand, the alternation of warm days and cold nights enhances nectar secretion."
It should also be remembered that there are conditions under which, conversely, nectar secretion in the flowers of honey plants decreases. For example, it has been observed that low temperatures (below 15°), winds, droughts, and weak lighting reduce nectar secretion. Enhanced development of vegetative organs (stems, leaves, etc.) also significantly reduces it. Conversely, an increase in temperature after rains, especially thunderstorms, intensifies nectar secretion.
According to preliminary estimates, the largest number of honey plants in Kyrgyzstan belong to the families of Rosaceae, Fabaceae, Asteraceae, Apiaceae, Lamiaceae, Boraginaceae, and others.
Honey plants are unevenly distributed across the territory of the republic. The main part of honey plants is concentrated in the agricultural zone, in forests, in meadows, and among shrubs. In contrast, there are significantly fewer in deserts and steppes, especially during the dry summer period.
Honey Plants of the Agricultural Zone
In the agricultural zone, in populated areas, the species composition of plants is quite diverse. This is due to the fact that this zone contains gardens, fields, vegetable gardens, groves, parks, alleys, forest strips, and flower beds.
Glukhov M. M. Honey Plants. Moscow, 1955.
In the fields, the main honey and pollen plants are: cotton, sunflower, sainfoin, onion, phacelia, alfalfa, corn, buckwheat, and others. In addition, there are many valuable honey plants among the weeds of the fields. These include: thistle, blueweed, chicory, sweet clover, dandelion, rapeseed, field sowthistle, blue cornflower, wild radish, lamb's quarters, amaranth, hemp, wormwood, and others.
Cotton. In Southern Kyrgyzstan, cotton from the Malvaceae family is the main agricultural crop. Besides being a valuable fiber and oilseed crop, it is also a good honey plant.
Cotton has floral and extrafloral nectaries. The floral nectaries are located between the calyx and corolla. They are mainly accessible to long-tongued mountain Caucasian bees. Cotton flowering begins with the lower fruit branch and gradually moves upward and sideways. The flower blooms for one day, and the flowering of the bush lasts two months: from June to mid-August, and sometimes until the end of September.
During the day, the flower changes color. In the morning, it is creamy, at noon it turns pink, then reddens, takes on a purple hue, and by evening wilts. M. M. Glukhov notes that the floral nectaries of cotton function for a long time. They begin to secrete nectar long before (usually 8 days) the buds open and stop nectar secretion when the ovary of the pistil turns into a mature capsule (8-10 days before the capsule fully ripens). The extrafloral nectaries of cotton are located on the hypanthium and on the leaves. The leaf nectaries secrete nectar from the moment the leaf is fully developed and almost until it dies. The secretion of nectar by leaf nectaries stops only shortly before this.
M. M. Glukhov emphasizes that the honey collected from the leaves of cotton does not differ in color or taste from the honey collected from its flowers.
The honey productivity of cotton is high, reaching 300 kg per hectare on irrigated lands. However, it varies significantly depending on the variety and growing conditions of cotton.
Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) or leaf vetch. A perennial plant from the Fabaceae family. The stems are numerous, 15-100 cm tall, erect or ascending. The leaves are compound and pinnate. The flower stalks are 2-3 times longer than the leaves. The flowers are bright pink-purple, up to 1.5 cm long. They are gathered in clusters. Because the bracts (up to 4 mm long) protrude above the buds, the cluster appears "fringed." By the end of flowering, the cluster elongates. The flower has a bell-shaped calyx made of 5 sepals. The corolla, consisting of 5 petals, is pink-purple with dark pink stripes up to 15 mm long. The nectar-secreting tissue is in the form of a flat ring and is located at the base of the stamens. It blooms in June after the flowering of gardens, with a flowering duration of 14-24 days. In some areas, it blooms until the end of August. The nectar is colorless, slightly cloudy; it contains up to 30% sugar.
Honey productivity is up to 100 kg per hectare. With irrigation, especially for the Sisian sainfoin from Armenia, honey productivity increases to 500-600 kg per hectare. There are about half a million flowers per hectare of sainfoin.
Honey from sainfoin is light amber, transparent, aromatic, and pleasant to taste. It crystallizes slowly; during this process, it acquires a white hue and somewhat resembles melted lard. In addition to nectar, bees also collect pollen from sainfoin.
Sainfoin is a valuable honey plant. It is drought-resistant.
Onion (Allium cepa), from the Amaryllidaceae family. In Kyrgyzstan, it occupies a significant sown area, especially in the Chuy Valley.
It blooms in June, sometimes until August, producing a lot of nectar and a little pollen. Bees willingly visit onion flowers, especially during hot times (from 1 PM to 4 PM).
Honey from onion is yellow, slightly transparent; at first, it has the smell and taste of onion. The average nectar productivity of bulb onion is 115 kg per hectare, while honey productivity is 70 kg. It is advisable to bring beehives to onion crops in July during flowering.
Wild species of onion are widespread in Kyrgyzstan, especially Borchievsky, Aflatun, Albert, and others. Some of them are willingly visited by bees.
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus), from the Asteraceae family. It is an annual plant with heart-shaped leaves and large flower heads. It blooms from June to September. It produces a lot of honey and little pollen. The honey is golden in color and does not spoil for a long time.
Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus), from the Malvaceae family. In the Chuy Valley, it is an important fiber, honey, and oilseed crop, where its sown areas occupy a significant area.
This annual plant ranges from 50 cm to 4 m in height with diverse leaves: the lower ones are simple, the middle ones are dissected, and the upper ones are less lobed.
The flowers are creamy, yellow, and rarely white with reddish spots at the base of the petals. The flowering period is long, lasting more than 50 days (from July to September). However, bees collect nectar from the glands located on the hypanthium. The quality of the honey is low.
Ajwain (Trachyspermum ammi), from the Apiaceae family. An annual plant up to 100 cm tall with finely dissected leaves.
Dirty white small flowers are gathered in complex umbels. Ajwain is cultivated as an oilseed crop in the Panfilov district of the Chuy Valley. It blooms for almost 2 months, from early July to late August. The main honey yield from ajwain occurs from July 15 to August 10. It is an excellent summer honey plant. The honey is dark amber and has good taste qualities, crystallizing slowly.
The total honey yield from ajwain per bee colony ranges from 30 to 70 kg.
One bee colony is required for pollination per hectare of ajwain. Ajwain provides a high honey yield.
Phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia), from the Hydrophyllaceae family. One of the main cultivated honey plants. Phacelia is an annual plant covered with stiff hairs; it bears a huge number of blue flowers in spirals.
It flowers 1.5 months after sowing. It blooms for about 2 months. It produces a lot of nectar.
The honey is light green or white, with a delicate aroma and pleasant taste. The amount of nectar in one flower reaches up to 5 mg. The nectar productivity is very high — from 250 to 1000 and even 1500 kg per hectare.
Corn (Zea mays), from the Poaceae family. An annual plant cultivated in the agricultural zone up to an absolute height of 2000 m. It produces a lot of pollen. It blooms in August. It is a good pollen source.
Alfalfa (Medicago sativa), from the Fabaceae family. A perennial plant with blue flowers. It is cultivated in the agricultural zone. The nectar productivity can reach up to 300 kg per hectare, especially in numbered Uzbek varieties.
Sickle or yellow alfalfa. A perennial plant 20-150 cm tall with yellowish flowers. It blooms from June to October. It grows around irrigation canals, on fallow lands, in river valleys, on irrigated meadows, in gardens, and in steppes throughout all regions of Kyrgyzstan. It is a good honey plant.
Thistle or creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense), from the Asteraceae family. It is a weed that infests not only fields, gardens, and vegetable patches but also pastures. It especially proliferates in degraded pastures and near livestock camps, along roads, and in wastelands.
Thistle is a biennial plant up to 1 m tall, with spiny leaves and stems, with raspberry-colored flowers gathered in drooping (also spiny) heads. It blooms from June to late autumn. It produces a lot of nectar and is willingly visited by bees. The honey is colorless or greenish, of high quality, aromatic, and pleasant to taste; it crystallizes slowly.
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), from the Asteraceae family. It is widely distributed within populated areas, in gardens and parks, along roads, in vegetable patches, as well as in forest clearings and meadows in Kyrgyzstan up to an altitude of 2500 m above sea level.
This perennial plant has a rosette of leaves at the base and yellow flower heads. It blooms from early spring and almost until late autumn. It produces pollen and nectar. In spring, bees collect a large amount of high-quality pollen from it, rich in protein substances.
Dandelion honey is characterized by its viscosity and crystallizes quickly. Dandelion is willingly visited by bees. In addition to the medicinal dandelion, there are 41 other species of dandelion in Kyrgyzstan. Many of them are also willingly visited by bees.
Sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis) or yellow sweet clover, from the Fabaceae family. This biennial plant has stems up to 150 cm tall.
The flowers are bright yellow, gathered in long flower clusters. It grows in fields, pastures, along roads, near fences, on fallow lands, and in gardens. It blooms from late May to August. It is an excellent honey plant, especially in its second year of life (which is why it is called "honey-giving"). The honey productivity of wild sweet clover is 200 kg per hectare, while that of cultivated sweet clover is 600 kg.
In addition to nectar, sweet clover produces a lot of pollen. It is advisable to sow it near beehives. The sowing rate is 20-24 kg of seeds per hectare.
The white sweet clover has similar honey and pollen-producing properties. However, it blooms 2 weeks later than yellow sweet clover.
Chicory (Cichorium intybus), from the Asteraceae family. It is a weedy plant. It is found in vegetable gardens and orchards, along roads, in pastures, in fields, near old livestock camps.
This biennial or perennial plant has a branched stem bearing delicate blue flower heads. It blooms for a long time, at various times from May to September. It is a good honey plant. It produces a lot of nectar and pollen.
Honey productivity is about 100 kg per hectare. The honey is blue.
Blue cornflower (Centaurea cyanus), from the Asteraceae family. An annual plant with bright blue flower heads. It blooms all summer until September. It produces a lot of nectar and pollen. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant. It is also found as a weed in fields in all regions of Kyrgyzstan, except for high mountains. It is a honey plant. It is willingly visited by bees.