Year-round growth potential and moisture stress tolerance of buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum L.) under fragile hill ecosystems of the Eastern Himalayas (India)

Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

Sustainable Food Systems

Kaberi Mahanta¹  Namrata Rajbonshi²  Krishnappa Rangappa²  Anup Das²  Basant K. Kandpal²  Jayanta Layek²  Uday Sankar Saikia²  Prabha Moirangthem²  Dipjyoti Rajkhowa²  Vinay Kumar Mishra²  Anjan Kumar Sarma²  Nishant Anandrao Deshmukh² 

[1] Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, Assam, India;ICAR Research Complex for North Eastern Hill Region, Umiam, Meghalaya, India;

关键词: buckwheat;    epicuticular wax;    hill ecosystem;    moisture stress;    root morphology;    stomatal characters;    winter season;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fsufs.2023.1190807

 received in 2023-03-21, accepted in 2023-08-17,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

IntroductionUnder a changing climate, the fragile ecosystems of the Eastern Himalayas (EH) are persistently challenged by prolonged dry spells and erratic rainfall. Identification of suitable high-yielding crops with higher moisture stress tolerance and adaptability is paramount for the region. Although the region received a good amount of rainfall in the rainy season, the winter months, viz., November to March, rarely received any rain. Even within the rainy season, there are several intermittent drought spells that hinder crop productivity.MethodsThe present study has used field and microcosm experiments to assess the year-round cultivation potential and extent of moisture stress tolerance in the lesser-known buckwheat crop of the region.Results and discussionSowing of buckwheat from mid-September to mid-December produced better grain yield, the highest being when sowing in October (9.83 q ha−1) and the crop was found suitable to grow all through the year for higher green biomass (12.6–38.4 q ha−1). The moisture stress tolerance of buckwheat was significantly enhanced by increased total root length and root surface area by 12.4 and 34.7%, respectively. Increased photo-protective carotenoids, chlorophyll b, and favorable stomatal attributes with substantial epicuticular wax have significantly improved the moisture stress tolerance of Buckwheat. In addition, leaf proline was found 25.4% higher and total soluble protein, reducing sugar, and cell membrane stability were found 29.2, 38.1, and 36.5% lower compared to the control, respectively. A significantly lower rate of water loss (25.6%) with its stomatal and non-stomatal adaptations and versatile pollen structural traits under moisture stress over control, make the buckwheat crop potentially more stress tolerant and economical crop for EH of India.

【 授权许可】

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Copyright © 2023 Rangappa, Rajkhowa, Layek, Das, Saikia, Mahanta, Sarma, Moirangthem, Mishra, Deshmukh, Rajbonshi and Kandpal.