Is Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) still a valuable crop today?
(2012) The European Journal of Plant Science and Biotechnology — Vol. 6, n° Special issue 2, p. 1-10 (2012)
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- Abstract
- Cultivation of buckwheat has decreased progressively worldwide over the last 20-30 years because of its low and erratic yield. In this review, we stress out the strengths and weaknesses of this crop. Buckwheat constitutes a multifood-use pseudocereal with nutritional benefits consisting in the absence of gluten in the flour, the richness in water soluble fibres, high quality proteins, unsaturated fatty acids, and appreciable mineral and vitamin content. The anti-oxidative action of buckwheat as a result of the presence of rutin and other phenolic substances is exploited by the pharmaceutical industry. Buckwheat’s benefits also include positive cardiovascular effects, regulation of certain types of diabetes, and prevention of gallstones and hormone-dependent cancers. Buckwheat, therefore, offers multiple nutritional advantages and can play a major role in the prophylaxis of several human diseases. From an agronomical point of view, buckwheat represents a good opportunity for environmentally friendly cultivation, with reduced use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. However, various physiological and ecological characteristics result in low and variable yields: (1) sensitivity to abiotic factors, such as frost, heat, water deficit, long photoperiod for photosensitive varieties, and tendency to lodging; (2) self-incompatibility, distyly and pollen transfer limitation; (3) indeterminate flowering and extended seed maturation over time leading to difficulties in determining the optimal time to harvest; and (4) female organ flower sterility. As a result, improvement in cultivar breeding and crop management is still needed.
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Jacquemart, A.-L., Cawoy, V., Kinet, J.-M., Ledent, J.-F., & Quinet, M. (2012). Is Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) still a valuable crop today? The European Journal of Plant Science and Biotechnology, 6(Special issue 2), 1-10. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/69524 (Original work published 2012)