Buckwheat  

I. Topic

Buckwheat is a crop that is not expanding in production.  In fact, less and less buckwheat is being produced.  This is a crop with unique characteristics that is gradually disappearing from the landscape.

	To understand a bit about the loss of crop diversity.
	To realize that not all crop plants are increasing in production and use.
	To realize that plants with very valuable and unique characteristics can be lost.
	To suggest how these characteristics might be incorporated into cropping systems.

 

Buckwheat has been grown since Colonial times in the U. S.  Buckwheat is not a small grain, but its use parallels a small grain, therefore, it is included in with the small grains.  Buckwheat is a member of the polygunaceae family which includes weeds like smartweed.  The seed is an achene.

Buckwheat had its origins in China, but is most often called Japanese buckwheat.  In Colonial times buckwheat and wheat had similar yields and both were used for flour.  Buckwheat was particularly adapted to "new" land.  As forests were cleared, buckwheat was used to "lighten" the land.  Buckwheat with its woody/branched form provided weed control, grew with little fertility, and provided a highly nutritious flour.

As wheat gained in importance, buckwheat waned.  Buckwheat was not responsive to fertility, and as wheat yields increased, buckwheat yields did not.  Buckwheat acreage has decreased every year in the U. S. since 1866, and production estimates are no longer given by USDA (United State Department of Agriculture).  This decline has occurred because of a decline in taste for buckwheat cakes and flour, little research and breeding effort, the lack of responsiveness to fertility, and the yield advantage offered by modern grains.

1. Grown in U. S. since colonial times.

2. Most common in northeastern and north central states.

3. Production reached peak of 22 million bu/yr in 1866.

• Fed to livestock
• Flour

1. Buckwheat is a minor grain crop.

• 1 million bu. On 50,000 acres

• New York
• Pennsylvania
• Michigan
• Wisconsin

Factors Contributing to Decline

1. A declining taste for buckwheat cakes.

2. Declining demand as livestock feed.

3. Little research being done to improve buckwheat through plant breeding.

• Buckwheat can't be inbred, so it is not well adapted for improvement

5. Varieties of buckwheat are almost non-existent.

6. Poor response of buckwheat to high fertilization applications and other modern culture practices.
 
Botany

1. Buckwheat is not a true cereal.

• It belongs to Polygonaceae family which includes dock, sorrel, knotweed, ringweed, smartweed, and climbing buckwheat

• Fagopyrum sagitattus
• F. Emerginatum
• F. Tataricum

• Herbaceous, erect alums
• 2-5 ft. In height
• Single main stem with branches
• Daylight insensitive
• Flowers densely clustered in racemes at ends of short petioles from leaf axil
• Flower has no petals, but 5 petal life sepals present
• Lt. green-white-pink or red
• Two types of f lower
• Pin - long pistils and short stamens
• Thrum - short pistils, long stamens
• causes self-incompatibility
• Short taproot
• System limited, makes up only 3-4% of total plant
• contributes to lodging problems

• Shape, size, and color varies considerably depending on the species

1. Tokyo

• Diploid, developed in Canada

• Developed at Penn State
• The first named variety released by an experiment station
• Yield and lodging resistant

• Most extensively grown and widely adapted
• Seeds are large, nearly triangular in cross section and brown to black in color
• Stems are coarse, grown 3-4 ft.

1. Most is marketed as flour

• Generally dark in color
• Pancake mix
• Breakfast food
• Thickening agents for soup, gravies

3. Feed for livestock.

• 2/3 of buckwheat grown in U. S. is used as feed
• Satisfactory grain substitute if fed in suitable mixture and has 90-95% of feed value of oats
• Is one of best sources of high biological value protein
• 92.3% of value of dried milk
• 81% of dried whole eggs

• High in lysine:

6. It may be fed whole to poultry.

• With other species, feed at least two parts of a more palatable grain
• Animals could develop a rash

• Restricted to 1/3 or less of mixture

1. Buckwheat produces a honey which is dark in color and has a strong flavor, favored by some.

2. It is one of beekeepers greatest sources of nectar.

• Buckwheat honey commands a higher price than other honeys
• The honey flow comes late in the season when nectar is scarce

1. Buckwheat thrives on land of low productivity and produces a green manure crop in a short period of time.

2. When plowed under, the plant material decays rapidly making N and mineral constituents available for the succeeding crop.

• The resulting humus improves the physical condition and moisture holding capacity of the soil.
• If a second green manure crop needed, rye may be drilled into buckwheat stubble and plowed under in spring

1. Buckwheat is a good competitor because it germinates rapidly and the dense canopy soon shades soil

• Can help control quackgrass
• Can help control thistle, knapweed, and pepper grass

1. Deer are particularly fond of buckwheat as are wild turkey, pheasant, grouse, and waterfall.

• Used in birdseed mixtures

1. Is extremely sensitive to weather conditions, especially at bloom.

• High temp
• Drought
• Drying winds
• Cause blasting of flowers and result in poor seed yield

• Adapted rest to northeast U. S. and mountain sections of south

• Well suited to newly cleared land

5. Rotations.

• Is generally not in rotations because other crops more profitable

• A catch crop or emergency crop to replace one that failed
• Wheat or rye could be seeded immediately after harvesting buckwheat

8. Leaves soil in a loose, friable condition, susceptible to erosion.

9. Date of seeding.

• Any time after last killing frost
• More common to seed 10-12 weeks before first killing frost to get away from warm weather
• In Virginia, late May to middle of July

• Firm seedbed because of limited, shallow roots
• If you must plow, do it several weeks in advance.  Use cultipacker prior to seeding

• Plant at 2:
• Use 3/4-1-1/4 bu.a (48 lb. Bu)
• Higher rate if broadcast

• Not too important
• Too much will cause lodging
• P most important element
• Doubtful additional grain will pay for fertilizer
• Idea is to just maintain good fertility

1. Cut with binder, allow bundles to dry in a shock prior to threshing with wheat thresher.

2. Combine when the maximum number of seeds have matured and the plants have lost most of their leaves.

3. Immature seeds and plants cause trouble in storage.

4. Yield about 20-25 bu/a.

Pests

1. These are not a problem with buckwheat.

  

In spite of all the negative things about buckwheat, it is an amazing plant.  Buckwheat grows with very little fertility, provides a lot of weed control acting as a herbicide for a crop that follows.  Buckwheat can grow in acid soils and works well in "new soil" making it an ideal green manure crop.  Buckwheat adds to the physical and moisture-holding capacity of soils.  Buckwheat even makes a quality, dark honey during the time when other flowering plants are not available for bees.

However, the real uniqueness of buckwheat is the quality of protein in buckwheat flour.  Crude protein in buckwheat is 5.56% compared to 2.87% for wheat.  Buckwheat protein is 92%, the value of dried milk, and 81% of dried whole eggs.  This is one of the best sources of biological protein of all plants.  In a world where fertility is lacking, organic matter is low, weed control is difficult, and people lack protein, it would appear that buckwheat might have a place.  Unfortunately, little emphasis is placed on buckwheat research and breeding.  This crop represents all the many crop plants in the world that are being lost from cropping systems.

	Why is buckwheat production declining?
	What characteristics make buckwheat so valuable?
	How could you use buckwheat in a cropping system?
	What would you propose to save this crop from disappearing from crop systems?