54. Buckwheat – the world’s most biodiversity-friendly crop?

Global Research Trends and Future Directions for Buckwheat as a Smart Crop: A Bibliometric and Content Analysis

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) originates from Central Asia and is widely distributed around the world. It is recognized as a versatile food crop due to its nutritional richness. Conducting a systematic analysis of the literature on buckwheat research can help scientific researchers achieve a better understanding of the current state, hotspots, and trends in this field, thereby promoting the sustainable development of buckwheat. The study retrieved a total of 4512 articles related to buckwheat from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC), involving 104 countries (regions), 3220 institutions, and 12,840 authors. The number of research papers on buckwheat is gradually increasing. China, Japan, Poland, the United States, and South Korea were the top five countries in terms of publication volume in this field. Among the top 10 institutions in terms of publication volume, Chinese institutions account for 60%. Northwest A & F University held a leading position in the number of papers published and cited. Research on buckwheat shows that both domestic and international research institutions tend to collaborate more with institutions within their own countries. A comprehensive analysis of journals with a high number of publications and citations in buckwheat research indicated that studies primarily focus on its use as food and its active substances. Analysis of the authors and cited authors indicated that Wu Qi and Zhu F, among others, have high reputations and significant influence in this field. Reference analysis has determined that early research primarily focused on buckwheat as a pseudo-cereal food; mid-term research mainly concentrated on its active substances and cultivation; later research became more comprehensive, focusing on its potential in food, biotechnology, and medical health, which gradually emerged as trends and hot topics. Keyword analysis indicates that buckwheat flour, antioxidant activity, protective biological control, and buckwheat husk are current research hotspots. This study systematically summarizes the current status of research in the field, identifies research hotspots and trends, and provides a reference for future investigations into buckwheat.

Buckwheat: an underutilized crop with attractive sensory qualities and health benefits

The pseudocereal buckwheat is one of the ancient domesticated crops. The aim of the present review was to outline the potential of buckwheat as an agricultural crop and brings studies on buckwheat into a new larger perspective combining current knowledge in agricultural history and practice, nutritional and sensory properties, as well as possible benefits to human health. Historically, buckwheat was an appreciated crop because of its short growth period, moderate requirements for growth conditions, and high adaptability to adverse environments. Nowadays, interest in buckwheat-based food has increased because of its nutritional composition and many beneficial properties for human health. Buckwheat is a rich course of proteins, dietary fibers, vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds, including flavonoids. Moreover, it contains no gluten and can be used in the production of gluten-free foods for individuals diagnosed with celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, or wheat protein allergies. Buckwheat is traditionally used in the production of various foods and can be successfully incorporated into various new food formulations with positive effects on their nutritional value and attractive sensory properties. Further research is needed to optimize buckwheat-based food development and understand the mechanism of the health effects of buckwheat consumption on human well-being.

High-quality Fagopyrum esculentum genome provides insights into the flavonoid accumulation among different tissues and self-incompatibility

Common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) and Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum), the two most widely cultivated buckwheat species, differ greatly in flavonoid content and reproductive mode. Here, we report the first high-quality and chromosome-level genome assembly of common buckwheat with 1.2 Gb. Comparative genomic analysis revealed that common buckwheat underwent a burst of long terminal repeat retrotransposons insertion accompanied by numerous large chromosome rearrangements after divergence from Tartary buckwheat. Moreover, multiple gene families involved in stress tolerance and flavonoid biosynthesis such as multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) and chalcone synthase (CHS) underwent significant expansion in buckwheat, especially in common buckwheat. Integrated multi-omics analysis identified high expression of catechin biosynthesis-related genes in flower and seed in common buckwheat and high expression of rutin biosynthesis-related genes in seed in Tartary buckwheat as being important for the differences in flavonoid type and content between these buckwheat species. We also identified a candidate key rutin-degrading enzyme gene (Ft8.2377) that was highly expressed in Tartary buckwheat seed. In addition, we identified a haplotype-resolved candidate locus containing many genes reportedly associated with the development of flower and pollen, which was potentially related to self-incompatibility in common buckwheat. Our study provides important resources facilitating future functional genomics-related research of flavonoid biosynthesis and self-incompatibility in buckwheat.

Explaining the adsorption mechanism of the herbicide 2,4-D and the drug ketoprofen onto wheat husks Fagopyrum esculentum treated with H2SO4

In this paper, the adsorption of the herbicide 2,4-D and the drug ketoprofen on wheat husks Fagopyrum esculentum treated with H₂SO₄ is experimentally and analytically analyzed. The adsorbent is fully characterized through some techniques such as FT-IR, SEM, and XRD. Adsorption tests are carried out to optimize the performances in terms of adsorbent dosage and solution pH. Subsequently, the impact of temperature is determined through the realization of adsorption isotherms. A multilayer model is employed to microscopically interpret the adsorption mechanism of both the investigated compounds. The modelling analysis shows that the number of molecules bound per adsorption site varied from 0.68 to 2.77 and from 2.23 to 3.59 for ketoprofen and herbicide 2,4-D, respectively. These estimated values testify that an aggregation process occurs during adsorption. The global number of formed layers of each adsorbate is also determined, showing a significant reduction from 5.73 to 2.61 for ketoprofen and from 1.79 to 1.5 for herbicide 2,4-D with the temperature. For a complete understanding of the adsorption mechanism, the saturation adsorption capacity and adsorption energy were calculated and interpreted. Overall, it may be inferred that physical interactions govern how these contaminants adsorb on the tested adsorbent.

Comparison of Heat and Drought Stress Responses among Twelve Tartary Buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) Varieties

The use of orphan crops could mitigate the effects of climate change and improve the quality of food security. We compared the effects of drought, high temperature, and their combination in 12 varieties of Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum). Plants were grown at 21/19 °C or 28/26 °C under well-watered and water-stressed conditions. Plants were more discriminated according to environmental conditions than variety, with the exception of Islek that was smaller and produced fewer leaves, inflorescences, and seeds than the other varieties. The combination of high temperature and water stress had a stronger negative impact than each stress applied separately. The temperature increase stimulated leaf and flower production while water stress decreased plant height. Leaf area decreased with both temperature and water stress. High temperature hastened the seed initiation but negatively affected seed development such that almost all seeds aborted at 28 °C. At 21 °C, water stress significantly decreased the seed production per plant. At the physiological level, water stress increased the chlorophyll content and temperature increased the transpiration rate under well-watered conditions. High temperature also increased the polyphenol and flavonoid concentrations, mainly in the inflorescences. Altogether, our results showed that water stress and temperature increase in particular negatively affected seed production in F. tataricum.

Effective removal of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug from wastewater by adsorption process using acid-treated Fagopyrum esculentum husk

In this work, buckwheat husks (Fagopyrum esculentum) were modified by acid treatment and posteriorly employed to remove the ketoprofen in batch adsorption. The characterization results indicated that a more irregular surface with new empty spaces was generated after acid treatment. The adsorptive process was favored at acidic pH = 3. The dosage of 0.85 g L^-1 was fixed for the kinetic and isothermal tests, obtaining good removal and capacity indications. The kinetic studies were better represented by pseudo-second-order, obtaining an experimental capacity of 74.3 mg g^-1 for 200 mg L^-1 of ketoprofen. An increase in temperature negatively affected the adsorption isotherm curves, resulting in a maximum capacity of 194.1 mg g^-1. Thermodynamic results confirmed the exothermic nature of the process with physical forces acting. The adsorbent presented high efficiency in treating a synthetic effluent containing different drugs and salts, 71.2%. Therefore, adsorbent development from buckwheat husks treated with a strong acid is an excellent alternative, given the good removal results and the low cost for its preparation.

Different drought resistance mechanisms between two buckwheat species Fagopyrum esculentum and Fagopyrum tataricum

Water availability is one of the main factors affecting crop production and the occurrence of drought periods is expected to increase in the context of ongoing climate change. We investigated the impact of water stress on two pseudocereal species, common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) and Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum). Plants were grown under greenhouse conditions under two water regimes: control (40-50% soil humidity) and water stress (<20% soil humidity). Although closely related, both species differed by their resistance to water stress. The vegetative growth was affected in F. esculentum but not in F. tataricum as water stress decreased leaf production, leaf fresh, and dry weight, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, and photosynthesis rate in the former but not in the latter. However, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters were not affected by water stress, whatever the species, and the chlorophyll content increased in water-stressed plants in both species. Oxidative stress was observed in both species in response to water stress, and antioxidant content was increased in F. tataricum. The reproductive phase was affected by water stress in both species: the number of inflorescences and pollen production decreased, mainly in F. esculentum. Seed set was maintained in F. tataricum while this parameter was not investigated in F. esculentum due to its self-incompatibility. Our results suggested that F. tataricum was more resistant to water stress than F. esculentum and that F. esculentum had characteristics of drought avoidance, while F. tataricum exhibited traits of drought tolerance.

Comparison of Plant Morphology, Yield and Nutritional Quality of Fagopyrum esculentum and Fagopyrum tataricum Grown under Field Conditions in Belgium

Buckwheat is a pseudocereal with high nutritional and nutraceutical properties. Although common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) is the main cultivated species, Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) is gaining interest. In this paper, we compared plant growth, yield-related parameters and seed nutritional qualities of two varieties of F. esculentum and F. tataricum under field conditions in Belgium. Fagopyrum esculentum flowered earlier, produced less nodes, less branches, less inflorescences, but more flowers per inflorescence than F. tataricum. The yield was higher in F. tataricum, while the thousand-grain weight was higher in F. esculentum. Yield ranged between 2037 kg/ha and 3667 kg/ha depending on the species and year. Regarding nutritional qualities, seeds of F. esculentum contained more proteins (15.4% vs. 12.8%) than seeds of F. tataricum although their amino acid profile was similar. Seeds of F. esculentum contained also more Mg (1.36 vs. 1.15 mg/g dry weight (DW)) and less Fe (22.9 vs. 32.6 µg/g DW) and Zn (19.6 vs. 24.5 µg/g DW) than F. tataricum. The main difference between seed nutritional quality was the concentration of flavonoids that was 60 times higher in F. tataricum than in F. esculentum. Both species grow well under Belgian conditions and showed good seed quality.

Comparison of high temperature resistance in two buckwheat species Fagopyrum esculentum and Fagopyrum tataricum

In the context of ongoing climate change, expected temperature rise may significantly limit plant growth and productivity of crop species. In this study, we investigated the effects of a sub-optimal temperature on buckwheat, a pseudocereal known for its nutraceutical advantages. Two buckwheat species differing by their reproduction method, namely Fagopyrum esculentum and Fagopyrum tataricum were grown at 21 °C and 27 °C in growth chambers. High temperature increased leaf production mainly in F. tataricum but decreased leaf area in both species. Water and photosynthesis-related parameters were affected by high temperature but our results suggested that although transpiration rate was increased, adaptive mechanisms were developed to limit the negative impact on photosynthesis. High temperature mainly affected the reproductive stage. It delayed flowering time but boosted inflorescence and flower production. Nevertheless, flower and seed abortions were observed in both species at 27 °C. Regarding flower fertility, heat affected more the female stage than the male stage and reduced the stigma receptivity. Pollen production increased with temperature in F. esculentum while it decreased in F. tataricum. Such discrepancy could be related to the self-incompatibility of F. esculentum. Both species increased their antioxidant production under high temperature to limit oxidative stress and antioxidant capacity was higher in the inflorescences than in the leaves. Total flavonoid content was particularly increased in the leaves of F. esculentum and in the inflorescences of F. tataricum. Altogether, our results showed that even if high temperature may negatively affect reproduction in buckwheat, it improves its antioxidant content.