Sultan Saurov 1*, Nurlan Serekpaev 2 and Vladimir Zotikov 3
1S. Seifullin Kazakh Agro Technical Research University, Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan; 2AgroInnovaConsalt” LLP, Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan; 3Federal Scientific Center for Legumes and Groat Crops, Streletsky, Russia
*Corresponding author: sultan.saurov@mail.ru
This study evaluated perennial and annual honey crops for optimizing a continuous honey conveyor under arid steppe conditions in Northern Kazakhstan. Field experiments were conducted in 2022–2024 on dark chestnut soils in the Akmola region. The tested crops were blue hybrid alfalfa cv. Lazurnaya, Sandy Sainfoin CV. Shortandinsky Rubin, yellow sweet clover cv. Sarbas, buckwheat cv. Shortandinskaya-4, rapeseed cv. Maybulak, mustard cv. Slavyanka, sunflower cv. Sochinsky, and phacelia cv. Ulyanovskaya. Six Carpathian honey bee colonies were placed near the plots, and control subplots were isolated from bee pollination. Flowering duration, nectar productivity, bee visitation, flower set, crop yield, and honey quality were assessed. Meteorological conditions varied among years and influenced crop development and nectar availability. Buckwheat showed the highest nectar productivity (163.2 kg/ha) and the longest flowering period (42 days). Yellow sweet clover and sandy sainfoin were stable perennial components, producing 103.8 and 90.8 kg/ha of nectar, respectively. Bee visitation differed significantly by time of day and crop species, with peak activity at 13:00 and the highest mean visitation rates in yellow sweet clover, sunflower, and rapeseed. Bee pollination increased mean flower set from 26.0 ± 16.2% in isolated plots to 74.6 ± 14.1% in bee-accessible plots. Honey quality depended on botanical origin: buckwheat honey had the highest diastase number, while sandy sainfoin honey had low acidity and high invert sugar. Buckwheat, yellow sweet clover, and sandy sainfoin are recommended as priority crops for a sustainable honey conveyor in Northern Kazakhstan.