Assessment of Diversity and Richness of Nectariferous Plant Genetic Resources for Apicultural Entrepreneurship in Nigeria and its Policy Implication

The contemporary global economic meltdown has devastating effects on Nigeria. The search for alternative source of national revenue aside from oil has become imperative for economic emancipation. Apiculture offers an unexploited succor capable of salvaging the people from abject poverty. A palynological evaluation of those palynotaxa which honey bees forage for pollen and nectar was carried out after standard acetolysis method. Results showed that these samples were highly diversified and rich in honey plants. A total of 9544.3 honey pollen, consisting of 39 honey plants belonging to 21 plant families and distributed within 38 genera were identified excluding 238 unidentified. Data from the analysis equally revealed that some of the predominant honey plants have multipurpose values to the cultural live of thses local communities. Their policy implications were discussed and the accruing data provided a guide to the optimal utilization of floral resources for apicultural enterprise in these regions.