Xiaolin Zhu^1,2

1 Yiwu Leyi Family Farm, Yiwu, 312000, Zhejiang, China
2 Zhejiang Agronomist College, Hangzhou, 310021, Zhejiang, China
Author    Correspondence author
Biological Evidence, 2026, Vol. 16, No. 3   
Received: 25 Mar., 2026    Accepted: 20 Apr., 2026    Published: 06 May, 2026

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Buckwheat is increasingly recognized as a highly multifunctional pseudocereal whose value extends far beyond conventional grain production. This review places particular emphasis on the distinctions between common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) and Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum), especially regarding reproductive biology, rutin accumulation, environmental adaptability, and product quality characteristics. Buckwheat possesses a combination of relatively uncommon traits within a single crop species, including adaptability to low-input cultivation systems, broad ecological plasticity, a well-balanced amino acid composition, high concentrations of flavonoids and phenolic compounds, and deep cultural integration within regional food traditions. These characteristics collectively support the extensive utilization of buckwheat in gluten-free and functional foods, livestock feed ingredients and feed additives, phytochemical-based health applications, and flower landscape-oriented agro-tourism systems, while simultaneously contributing to local cultural identity and rural revitalization. At the same time, the development of the buckwheat industry continues to face several important constraints related to breeding systems, production stability, processing technologies, and evidence-based functional evaluation. The present study argues that buckwheat should not be regarded as an isolated niche crop with limited applications, but rather as a strategically integrative crop whose food, feed, medicinal, ecological, and cultural functions can be developed synergistically. Such an integrated utilization model is particularly significant for mountain agriculture, marginal land use, circular bioeconomy development, and regionally differentiated rural development strategies.

Fagopyrum esculentum; Fagopyrum tataricum; Functional food; Rutin; Flavonoids; Feed utilization; Pharmacological activity; Agro-tourism; Rural revitalization