Progress of research on buckwheat forage and its application in the livestock and poultry industries

Buckwheat is native to China. The cultivated species, Common buckwheat and Tartary buckwheat, are distributed widely throughout the globe, whereas the southwest of China has an abundance of wild buckwheat species. Buckwheat has good nutritional qualities, containing not only protein, fiber, and carbohydrates, but also rutin and other antioxidant substances. The crop is highly resistant to disease, pests, and barren, with high adaptability and a short growth period; some of the wild species are especially rich in leaves and are easily recovered after clipping. Buckwheat has emerged as a forage with great potential, but its value as a food source and prospects for development are currently underexplored. In this paper, we have introduced the history and current status buckwheat forage, reviewed the applications of buckwheat in pigs, ruminants, and poultry, discussed the problems of buckwheat forage, and evaluated future research prospects.