Suitability of Rice-Tartary Buckwheat for Crossbreeding and for Utilization of Rutin

Rice-Tartary buckwheat is a form of Tartary buckwheat grown and used in place of rice in limited areas of Nepal, Bhutan, and Southern China. It has a non-adhering hull that splits longitudinally in three, unlike other Tartary buckwheats,which have an adhering hull that is hard to remove. Information oil rice-Tartary buckwheat is limited, and its suitability for crossbreeding is unclear. We reciprocally crossed Tartary and rice-Tartary buckwheats, and backcrossed rice-Tartary-type progeny and Tartary buckwheat. Hybridization using hot-water emasculation was successful, and over half of the hand-pollinated flowers set mature seeds. Segregation analyses revealed that the non-adhering hull is controlled by a single recessive gene. F(2) segregates showed almost no relation between the non-adhering hull and earliness, suggesting that selection for early-maturing non-adhering-hulled plants is feasible. Progeny analysis of a cross between rice-Tartary-type plants and plants with a dark red cotyledon Suggested no linkage between the two controlling loci. The rutin concentration in dehulled grain was stable after immersion in water, although that in flour rapidly decreased after the addition of water. Rice-Tartary buckwheat is Suitable for crossbreeding with Tartary buckwheat, and the trait of non-adhering hull will allow the use of dehulled grain as a dietary source of rutin.