Have a personal or library account? Click to login

Flowering, Forage Value, and Insect Pollination in Borage (Borago Officinalis L.) Cultivated in Se Poland

Journal of Apicultural Science
Volume 64 (2020): Issue 1 (June 2020)
By:
Open Access
|Jul 2020

Figures & Tables

Fig. 1

Morphology and microstructure of a Borago officinalis flower. a. Front view of a flower. b. Fourloculed ovary with a nectary ring below (arrow). c. Four-lobed nectary ring (SEM). d. Nectary epidermis with a nectarostoma (SEM). Abbreviations: s - sepal, o - ovary, n - nectary lobe.
Morphology and microstructure of a Borago officinalis flower. a. Front view of a flower. b. Fourloculed ovary with a nectary ring below (arrow). c. Four-lobed nectary ring (SEM). d. Nectary epidermis with a nectarostoma (SEM). Abbreviations: s - sepal, o - ovary, n - nectary lobe.

Fig. 2

Seasonal flowering pattern of Borago officinalis plants in 2007. The bars represent mean values (n = 6).
Seasonal flowering pattern of Borago officinalis plants in 2007. The bars represent mean values (n = 6).

Fig. 3

Daily pattern of opening Borago officinalis flowers per stems (n = 8) recorded on the 16th and 17th June 2007. The bars represent mean values.
Daily pattern of opening Borago officinalis flowers per stems (n = 8) recorded on the 16th and 17th June 2007. The bars represent mean values.

Fig. 4

Micrographs of Borago officinalis pollen grains. a. Polar view, LM. b. Equatorial view, LM. c. Polar view, SEM. d. Equatorial view, SEM.
Micrographs of Borago officinalis pollen grains. a. Polar view, LM. b. Equatorial view, LM. c. Polar view, SEM. d. Equatorial view, SEM.

Fig. 5

Insect visits expressed as the percentage of total visits to Borago officinalis flowers recorded in 2007 and diurnal visitors to flowers.
Insect visits expressed as the percentage of total visits to Borago officinalis flowers recorded in 2007 and diurnal visitors to flowers.

Fig. 6

Bees foraging on Borago officinalis flowers. a. Honey bee gathering nectar. b. Bumblebee collecting nectar and pollen with a visible corbicular pollen load (arrow).
Bees foraging on Borago officinalis flowers. a. Honey bee gathering nectar. b. Bumblebee collecting nectar and pollen with a visible corbicular pollen load (arrow).

Fig. 7

Number of insect visits (mean and SD) to Borago officinalis crops throughout the day in the 2007 season (n = 252 records).
Number of insect visits (mean and SD) to Borago officinalis crops throughout the day in the 2007 season (n = 252 records).

Pollen production in Borago officinalis during growing seasons 2007–2009_ Mean values (± SD) are given, SD - standard deviation_

YearPollen amount:
flower−1 (mg)plant−1 (g)m−2 of crop (g)
20071.3a ± 0.51.4a ± 0.86.4a ± 2.6
n = 12n = 6n = 12
20081.1b ± 0.21.1a ± 0.45.1a ± 1.2
n = 12n = 10n = 12
20091.0b ± 0.40.9a ± 0.34.2b ± 1.5
n = 12n = 20n = 12
mean1.1 ± 0.41.1 ± 0.55.2 ± 2.0
n = 36n = 26n = 36

Nectar production parameters in Borago officinalis L_ in the growing seasons 2007–2009_

YearAmount · flower−1 of:Sugar concentration of nectar (% wt/wt)Amount of sugars secreted in nectar:
nectar (mg)sugars secreted in nectar (mg)plant−1 (g)m−2 of crop (g)
20074.3 ± 2.40.9 ± 0.226.7 ± 10.91.0 ± 0.64.5 ± 1.2
n = 20n = 20n = 20n = 6n = 20
20084.0 ± 2.21.3 ± 0.636.3 ± 18.81.3 ± 0.56.3 ± 3.0
n = 14n = 14n = 14n = 10n = 14
20093.8 ± 2.21.3 ± 0.633.8 ± 4.91.1 ± 0.45.1 ± 2.5
n = 19n = 19n = 19n = 10n = 19
mean4.0 ± 2.21.2 ± 0.531.5 ± 13.11.1 ± 0.55.2 ± 2.3
n = 53n = 53n = 53n = 26n = 53

Flowering phenology and abundance of Borago officinalis L_ in the years of study_

YearFlowering time (days)Life span of a flower (hours)Number of flowers
plant−1m−2 of plot
200720.06–07.0821.3 ± 1.151024 ± 6284866 ± 2981
(49)n = 6n = 6n = 6
200817.06–14.0820.6 ± 1.53999 ± 3654744 ± 1731
(59)n = 6n = 10n = 10
200922.06–20.0821.7 ± 2.08863 ± 3324100 ± 1578
(60)n = 6n = 10n = 10
mean(56)21.2 ± 1.00953 ± 4144570 ± 1968
n = 18n = 26n = 26
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jas-2020-0005 | Journal eISSN: 2299-4831 | Journal ISSN: 1643-4439
Journal RSS Feed
Language: English
Page range: 77 - 89
Submitted on: Aug 5, 2019
Accepted on: Dec 23, 2019
Published on: Jul 2, 2020
Published by: Research Institute of Horticulture
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Publication frequency: 2 issues per year
Keywords:
bee pasture,
flowering pattern,
nectar production,
pollen production and morphology
Related subjects:
Life sciences,
Zoology,
Life sciences, other

© 2020 Ernest Stawiarz, Anna Wróblewska, Marzena Masierowska, Dagmara Sadowska, published by Research Institute of Horticulture
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Previous articleVolume 64 (2020): Issue 1 (June 2020)Next article