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Abstract

The honey production capacity of bee flora is used to estimate the optimum colony carrying capacity of given area that helps to harvest the best honey yield. The research was conducted to quantify the nectar secretion pattern, the effect of temperature and humidity on dynamics of nectar secretion, and honey production capacity of Callistemon citrinus. One day before nectar collection, five inflorescences were enclosed with mesh bags on different branches of the tree. From these, twenty flowers were randomly selected per tree for the measurement of nectar volume. Additionally, nectar volume and concentration, temperature, and air humidity were measured with an interval of one hour. One way ANOVA and linear regression were used for data analysis. The average amount of nectar and its concentration were different significantly within the time of the day. Nectar amount was correlated positively with humidity while concentration was negatively correlated with temperature. The average nectar volume (µl) per flower in 24 hours, sugar amount per tree (kg), honey yield per individual tree (kg) and honey production capacity of Callistemon citrinus per hectare were 10. 9+0.4, 0.65, 0.79, and 1264 kg (46-3808 kg), respectively. The real expected honey yield was 632 kg ha -1 . Total financial return was estimated to be $4424 based on a value of $7 kg -1 of Callistemon citrinus honey. Therefore, the multiplication and plantation of this plant are suggested for honey production.