Development of common buckwheat cultivars with high antioxidative activity —‘Gamma no irodori’, ‘Cobalt no chikara’ and ‘Ruchiking’

Abstract

To breed new highly antioxidative common buckwheat cultivars, we selected individual plants from gamma ray-irradiated populations. Selection and propagation were repeated 4 or 5 times. This recurrent selection process resulted in many individuals with enhanced antioxidative activity. Among them, 2 individuals from the forth selection and 9 individuals from the fifth selection were developed into lines with increased antioxidative activities and diverse polyphenolic composition. From these lines, 2 new cultivars ‘Gamma no irodori’ and ‘Cobalt no chikara’ were developed. Furthermore, following the selection of individuals with high rutin contents, ‘Ruchiking’ was developed.