Identifying the primary meteorological factors affecting the growth and development of Tartary buckwheat and a comprehensive landrace evaluation using a multi-environment phenotypic investigation.

Abstract

Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) is a traditional edible and medicinal crop and has been praised as one of the green foods for humans in the 21st century. However, its production and promotion are restricted by the low yields of current varieties. The interaction of genotype and environment could lead to inconsistent phenotypic performance of genotypes across different environments. Climate change has intensified these effects and poses a substantial threat to crop production. In the present study, the effects of meteorological factors on the phenotypic traits of 200 Tartary buckwheat landraces across four macro-environments were investigated. Overall, the phenotypic performance of these Tartary buckwheat landraces was markedly varied across the different environments. Also, the average daily temperature and precipitation had relatively higher impacts on phenotypic performance. The results also revealed the negative impacts of relative humidity on the yield-related traits. Twenty-five Tartary buckwheat landraces were ultimately identified as having good overall phenotypic performance and high yield stability. Understanding the impacts of meteorological factors on the phenotypic performance of crops can guide appropriate measures and facilitate germplasm selection for yield enhancement in the context of climate change. The landraces selected comprehensively in this study could be used as parents or intermediate materials for breeding high-quality Tartary buckwheat varieties in the future. The methods used could also be extended to other crops for breeding and germplasm innovation. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.