Germplasm resources of buckwheat in China and their forage value

Buckwheat is a traditional edible and medical plant, with substantial forage value. A variety of types of cultivated buckwheat has formed through cultivation and evolution. Currently, the germplasm resources of buckwheat are considerably rich in south-western China, and have attracted worldwide attention. In this paper, the types of buckwheat germplasm resources, and their distribution, the species and the scopes of cultivated buckwheat, and utilization value of them were summarized, with emphatically analyzed the advantages of buckwheat as a forage grass, especially the Fagopyrum cymosum, innutrition, yield, palatability and environmental friendliness, revealing the application value and the development potential of buckwheatas a forage grass. We also comprehensively discussed the problems facing the buckwheat research field in China, pointing out that the focus of the buckwheat research work should be on the excavation of wild buckwheat resources and the exploitation of buckwheat as a forage grass.