This study examines the impact of environmental conditions on the growth, yield, and biochemical composition of common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench.) across two locations in Central Europe over three consecutive growing seasons (2019-2021). Significant variations in meteorological conditions, including temperature fluctuations and rainfall, were observed between two locations: Austria (AT) and the Czech Republic (CZ). The study highlights the role of these environmental factors in influencing morphological traits such as plant height, leaf dimensions, and 1000-seed weight (TSW), as well as nutritional and bioactive compound content. Buckwheat plants in Austria generally exhibited higher mean values for plant height and TSW compared to the Czech Republic, with significant variability observed across varieties and years. In terms of nutritional quality, crude protein content ranged between 12.56 and 14.71% dw, with the highest protein levels linked to cooler, low-rainfall conditions. The study also investigated phenolic compounds, particularly rutin, which showed a significant increase in content in 2021, likely due to extreme weather conditions. Varieties such as Sweden-1, Tempest, and Zamira exhibited stable, high rutin levels across all years. Overall, this research highlights the complexity of environmental influences on the agronomic and nutritional traits of buckwheat and provides valuable insights for future breeding programs aimed at improving yield and nutritional value under changing climatic conditions.

• Klíčová slova
• common buckwheat, environment, genetic resources, metabolomic profiling, minor cereal,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

The resurgence of interest in amaranth and buckwheat as nutrient-rich and versatile grains has incited extensive research aimed at exploring their potential benefits for sustainable agriculture and human nutrition. Amaranth is renowned for its gluten-free nature and exceptional nutritional profile, offering high-quality proteins, fiber, minerals, and bioactive compounds. Similarly, buckwheat is recognized for its functional and nutraceutical properties, offering a plethora of health benefits attributed to its diverse array of biologically active constituents; flavonoids, phytosterols, and antioxidants. This comprehensive review comprehends the existing understanding of the composition, anti-nutritional factors, biological activity, and potential application of these grains, emphasizing their pivotal role in addressing global food insecurity. Developed functional foods using these grains are having enhanced physicochemical properties, mineral content, phenolic content and overall sensory acceptability. In addition, the consumption of developed functional food products proved their health benefits against various type of anomalies. Moreover, enrichment of both grains in the animal feeds also showing positive health benefits.

• Klíčová slova
• Bioactive compounds, Food insecurity, Health benefits, Product development, Pseudocereal grains,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• přehledy MeSH

Characterisation of genetic diversity is critical to adequately exploit the potential of germplasm collections and identify important traits for breeding programs and sustainable crop improvement. Here, we characterised the phenotypic and genetic diversity of a global collection of the two cultivated buckwheat species Fagopyrum esculentum and Fagopyrum tataricum (190 and 51 accessions, respectively) using 37 agro-morphological traits and 24 SSR markers. A wide range of variation was observed in both species for most of the traits analysed. The two species differed significantly in most traits, with traits related to seeds and flowering contributing most to differentiation. The accessions of each species were divided into three major phenoclusters with no clear geographic clustering. At the molecular level, the polymorphic SSR markers were highly informative, with an average polymorphic information content (PIC) of over 0.65 in both species. Genetic diversity, as determined by Nei's expected heterozygosity (He), was high (He = 0.77 and He = 0.66, respectively) and differed significantly between species (p = 0.03) but was homogeneously distributed between regions, confirming the lack of genetic structure as determined by clustering approaches. The weak genetic structure revealed by the phenotypic and SSR data and the low fixation indices in both species suggested frequent seed exchange and extensive cultivation and selection. In addition, 93 and 140 significant (p < 0.05) marker-trait associations (MTAs) were identified in both species using a general linear model and a mixed linear model, most of which explained >20% of the phenotypic variation in associated traits. Core collections of 23 and 13 phenotypically and genetically diverse accessions, respectively, were developed for F. esculentum and F. tataricum. Overall, the data analysed provided deep insights into the agro-morphological and genetic diversity and genetic relationships among F. esculentum and F. tataricum accessions and pointed to future directions for genomics-based breeding programs and germplasm management.

• Klíčová slova
• agro-morphological traits, breeding, buckwheat, genetic diversity, marker-trait associations, microsatellite markers,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Quinoa displays huge genetic variability and adaptability to distinct climatic conditions. Quinoa seeds are a good source of nutrients; however, the overall nutritional composition and nutrient content is influenced by numerous factors. This study focused on the nutritional and morphologic evaluation of various quinoa genotypes grown in the Czech Republic. Significant differences between years were observed for morphological traits (plant height, inflorescence length, weight of thousand seeds). The weather conditions in the year 2018 were favorable for all the morphological traits. The protein content of quinoa accessions ranged between 13.44 and 20.01% and it was positively correlated to mauritianin. Total phenolic content varied greatly from year to year, while the antioxidant activity remained relatively stable. The most abundant phenolic compounds were the flavonoids miquelianin, rutin, and isoquercetin. Isoquercetin, quercetin, and N-feruoloyl octopamine showed the highest stability under variable weather conditions in the analyzed years. A total of six compounds were detected and quantified in quinoa for the first time. Most varieties performed well under Central European conditions and can be considered a good source of nutrients and bioactive compounds. These data can be used as a source of information for plant breeders aiming to improve the quality traits of quinoa.

• Klíčová slova
• Chenopodium, breeding, mass spectrometry, phenolic compounds, protein, quinoa,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH