Morphology and some aspects of reproductive biology of perennial buckwheat Fagopyrum cymosum Meissn. in the Republic of Tatarstan

Fagopyrum cymosum Meissn. is a wild perennial species of buckwheat, which grows in southwest Asia. Despite rather active economic use of perennial buckwheat, only the most general information concerning the morphology and reproductive biology of the species is found in the literature. At the same time, such information could be useful for conducting genetic-selection works. In the case of the introduction of F. cymosum into the territory of European Russia, a comprehensive study of a new species will be required. The purpose of this study is a complete morphological description, identification of flowering and nectar features, evaluation of pollen fertility and seed productivity of perennial buckwheat F. cymosum in the Republic of Tatarstan. As a result of the studies, a morphological characteristic of perennial buckwheat is given. The strong branching of shoots and flower-bearing axes of F. cymosum was revealed. It turned out that the structure of the buckwheat flower is characterized by high variability. Flowers with the highest frequency were found with the formula P₅A₈G₍₃₎ (83,3%) and P₅A₉G₍₃₎ (10,7%). Among the anomalous flowers, variants with a variable number of stamens were most often encountered. Perennial buckwheat in the Republic of Tatarstan was pollinated by wild Hymenoptera and Diptera. The sugariness of perennial buckwheat nectar compared to the selection varieties of buckwheat was insignificant, averaged 0,03 mg of sugar per flower. The fertility of pollen fluctuated within 87,5–96,8%, depending on the weather conditions. The real seed productivity of perennial buckwheat varied from 26,7 to 186,0 seeds per plant. As a result of the study the authors have concluded that perennial buckwheat can be grown in the conditions of the Middle Volga Region as an annual crop.