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Nirmallya Ghosh, MD Ashfaque Molla, Priyasi Ray, Radhakanta Nandi, Sarupa Barman, Anisha Satpati, and Sudha Gupta*
Department of Botany, University of Kalyani, Kalyani-741235, West Bengal, India
Email: sudhaguptain@gmail.com
Received-18.06.2026, Revised-11.07.2026, Accepted-29.07.2026
Abstract: Pollen preservation is important for understanding plant reproductive biology, pollination ecology and biodiversity, but conventional storage methods often require controlled environmental conditions and specialised infrastructure. The present study investigated the diversity, viability and in vitro germination potential of pollen naturally recovered from bee bread (BB) and honey (HN) in the Sundarbans mangrove ecosystem of India. Bee bread and honey samples collected from five bee hives representing four regions of the Sundarbans were subjected to palynological analysis. Pollen viability was assessed using Aniline Blue, Acetocarmine and 2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC), while germination was evaluated under in vitro conditions at different sucrose concentrations and incubation periods. A total of 20 pollen taxa representing 12 plant families were identified, comprising mangrove, mangrove-associated and terrestrial taxa and reflecting the diverse floral resources exploited by honey bees. Viability varied among pollen taxa, staining methods and storage matrices, with bee-bread pollen generally showing higher viability than pollen recovered from honey. Significant differences in viability between BB and HN were observed for all three staining methods, whereas the responses among staining methods varied according to the pollen matrix. In vitro germination was highest in 20% sucrose and reached a maximum at 72 h of incubation. Germination frequency was consistently higher in BB than in HN pollen, ranging from 70.46–87.64% in BB and 62.32–73.42% in HN. Linear regression indicated strong positive associations between incubation time and germination frequency in both BB (R² = 0.8941) and HN (R² = 0.9107). Thus, pollen recovered from bee bread showed greater retention of viability and germination potential than pollen recovered from honey, although responses were species-specific. The findings identify bee bread as a promising natural biological archive for investigating pollen biology, bee–plant interactions, pollination ecology and biodiversity, while providing a basis for future research on natural pollen preservation.
Keywords: Bee bread, Honey; Pollen preservation, pollen viability, Sundarbans, Mangrove ecosystem
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