Organic Crop Production Technology and Packages of Practices of Buckwheat (Fagopyrum spp.) Cultivation

Abstract

Growing to be the third largest crop in Sikkim, buckwheat is a major grain crop that is extensively farmed throughout the Indian Himalayan states. The first grain used for cereal, buckwheat, was consumed by humans. Protein, fibre, and energy are all abundant in buckwheat grain, which is incredibly nourishing. Due to its gluten-free nature, buckwheat flour makes a great dietary substitute. Following rice and maize as the two most common cereal crops grown in Sikkim is buckwheat. Additionally, the crop is a good source of fagopyrin and rutin (quercetin-3-rutinosid), which are known to be utilised in the prevention of a number of human illnesses. Compared to regular buckwheat, tartary buckwheat has 100 times more rutin. The acreage and production of buckwheat are decreasing as a result of improvements in other crops' productivity and profitability. Because it has a more appetising flavour and grows more quickly than tartary buckwheat, common buckwheat is becoming more and more popular in the Himalayas. Buckwheat may solubilise native soil potassium and phosphorus and fix nitrogen from the atmosphere. Although buckwheat is a crop that is underappreciated and ignored, growers and consumers can benefit much from it. This crop is resistant to climate change, thriving in both marginal and poor soil types and under adverse environmental circumstances. It is hypothesised that the Indian Himalayan region has a good diversity of buckwheat. Therefore, crop-specific missions are needed to gather the diverse and unexploited germplasm, as well as to characterise and document buckwheat germplasm collections in a systematic manner for future use. The short growing season in the steep highlands leads to the prevalence of monocropping. Buckwheat grows next to rice in the lowlands and maize in the highlands of the mid-hills. Consequently, in vulnerable hill ecosystems, buckwheat may prove to be the food crop of the future. Researchers, developers, and policy makers must shift their focus immediately to creating and promoting location-specific scientific interventions and policies to stop the farmers' disinterest in buckwheat production in mountainous areas.