Especies forestales arbóreas con potencial melícola en la parroquia el arenal, cantón Puyango, provincia de Loja.

Abstract

The present research was conducted in the El Arenal parish, Puyango canton, Loja province, which has an altitudinal range of 690 to 1800 meters above sea level and a vegetation cover of 2,771.54 hectares. The objective was to contribute to the management of meliponine honey production through the characterization of forest species and identification of trees with melliferous potential. Five transects of 5m x 10m were established in five meliponiculture farms to determine the botanical origin of the honey. Botanical samples were collected and taxonomically identified at the Reinaldo Espinoza Herbarium of the National University of Loja. Thirty-seven forest species belonging to 31 genera and 16 families were identified, with the families Fabaceae, Myrtaceae, Lauraceae, Malvaceae, Meliaceae, and Moraceae standing out. Through direct observation, the frequency of meliponine bee visits to 14 melliferous forest species was recorded, with the most visited being: Bixa orellana, Geoffroea spinosa, Nectandra reticulata, Nectandra subbullata, Ochroma pyramidale, Myrsine sodiroana, Syzygium jambos, Eucalyptus saligna, Triplaris cumingiana, Cupania cinerea, Inga sp, Inga spectabilis, Psidium guineense. In the five transects, the most representative species with melliferous potential were Bixa orellana with 140 individuals/ha, followed by Myrcia fallax with 136 individuals/ha, and Ochroma pyramidale, Myrsine sodiroana, and Triplaris cumingiana with 128 individuals/ha.