Genetic analysis of agronomic traits of inter-subspecific cross populations of Tartary buckwheat

To provide a good basis for breeding new varieties, two different Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum Gaertn. 2n = 16) lines belonging to different sub-species with large differences in plant height were crossed. The progeny was analyzed for the genetic pattern of each agronomic trait and correlation analysis between traits. In terms of their coefficients of variation, the node numbers on the main stem and the weights per thousand kernels were small, while the number/weight of seeds per plant was large, indicating that the former character is more stable while the latter has greater potential for improvement. The average degrees of the dominance of plant height, number of main stem nodes, and number/weight of seeds per plant were greater than 1, indicating that dominant effects mainly controlled these traits. The heritability of the thousand kernel weight was greater than for the other traits, indicating that this trait is suitable for single plant selection in early generations. Correlation analysis of each agronomic trait revealed that plant height significantly and positively correlated with all other traits in the F-3 population, indicating the difficulty of selecting strains with dwarf stature and high-yield traits. Nevertheless, 13 strains with dwarf stems and high yields were screened in the F-5 population. The present study showed that the thousand kernel weight can be improved by single plant selection, while other traits need to be considered together to achieve optimal selection when endeavoring to breed dwarf, high-yield Tartary buckwheat.