Evaluation of phenolic antioxidant content in organically and conventionally grown buckwheat herb crop and its regrowth

Influence of Morphostructural Elements for Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) Productivity in Different Agricultural Systems

The research was carried out at Vokė Branch of the Institute of Agriculture of Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry in 2018–2019. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of the relative proportion of stems, leaves and flowers on biomass formation and grain yield in organic and conventional farming systems. The study found that buckwheat produced one-third more biomass in the conventional farming system than in the organic farming system. Differences between buckwheat cultivars were more distinct due to biomass formation than grain yield. The research determined that the productivity (biomass and grain yields) of buckwheat was dependent on the proportion of morphological elements in plants and the process of biomass formation and grain yield in organic and conventional agricultural systems. Biomass yields depended on the relative number of stems in both farming systems. Grain yield depended on the ratio of flowers in the morphostructure; however, statistically significant correlations were found only in the organic farming system.

The Effects of Buckwheat Leaf and Flower Extracts on Antioxidant Status in Mouse Organs

This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of the extracts of buckwheat leaf and flower on the antioxidant status of the brain and liver tissue. The administration of buckwheat extracts (both concentrations were 10%) to mice (at the dose 10 mL/kg of body weight) for 21 days significantly decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and reduced the amount of glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the mouse brain, while catalase (CAT) activity significantly increased. In the mouse liver, the amount of GSH and activity of SOD increased, while the CAT activity after administering buckwheat leaf and flower extracts was lower in experimental mice than in the control group. However, the administration of 10% ethanol (for 21 days) to control animals also had a significant effect on the antioxidant system in brain and liver cells. Experimental animals demonstrated rather marked changes in the activities of the antioxidant enzymes SOD and CAT in their liver and brain cells, and changes in the levels of GSH and MDA were observed when compared with the control group.