Melliferous Potential of Weedy Herbaceous Plants in Crop Fields of Romania from 1949 to 2012

Abstract

Intensive farming systems have led to reduced food availability for honey bees which could be related to their current decline. A global tool is needed in order to assess the melliferous potential of plant species that could be developed as crops or companion plants in such systems. This review is based upon a survey from an extensive dataset collected in Romania over the last sixty years to record the nectar production of 153 weedy species. While there was considerable variation among these plants, we found that the melliferous potential of such large families as the Brassicaceae was low, that of the Apiaceae, Asteraceae and Fabaceae at an intermediate level, and that of the Lamiaceae and Boraginaceae the highest. High nectariferous potential was found to be an important feature of perennial ruderal species. Within the main flowering season, perennials provided much more nectar than annuals. These results could help to develop new agricultural practices more compatible with honey bee colony survival and honey production, as some of these plant species could provide a solution to enable agriculture and beekeeping to coexist in a sustainable way.

Possible Spillover of Pathogens between Bee Communities Foraging on the Same Floral Resource

“…We therefore created the ecological conditions necessary for the emergence of a local virus spillover by growing Phacelia tanacetifolia , an attractive flowering crop often used in pollinator-friendly agro-environmental schemes [ 72 ], in four 0.03 to 0.12 ha plots bordering the experimental apiaries (10 to 20 colonies at 2 to 10 m). While native of North America, this plant is fairly common in agro-environmental schemes in Europe, and is probably one of the most attractive plants for bees and other flower visiting insects [ 73 ]. It is also well suited for the rather hot and dry Mediterranean climate of the study region [ 74 , 75 ].…”

Rise and fall of Stachys annua (L.) L. in the Carpathian Basin: a historical review and prospects for its revival

“…In Switzerland, for example, S. annua is already available as a component of seed mixtures to promote biodiversity in agro-ecosystems (Ramseier et al 2016;Ganser et al 2019). In Romania, Ion et al (2018) recommended it for intercropping use, because of its short vegetation cycle and early flowering. The early crop experiments that took place in Hungary in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century could also support these initiatives with valuable lessons.…”

Weeds Enhance Multifunctionality in Arable Lands in South-West of France

“…Weeds differ in their melliferous potential (Baude et al, 2016;Ion et al, 2019). Consequently, a functional approach using traits related to pollination (e.g., flower resource), pest control (e.g., seed energetic content) and soil activities functions [root traits; but see Gaba et al (2017) for other examples] may be useful to go deeper in the relationships.…”