Date of Award

Fall 2025

Project Type

Thesis

Program or Major

Agricultural Sciences

Degree Name

Master of Science

First Advisor

Iago Hale

Second Advisor

Rebecca Sideman

Third Advisor

Richard Smith

Abstract

Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) is an underutilized crop with the potential to address key challenges in modern agriculture, including food security in the context of climate change and growing resource scarcity. It is valued for its tolerance to abiotic stresses such as drought, cold, and marginal soils, making it a promising candidate for cultivation in the Northeastern United States, a region where average temperatures have risen by approximately 0.25 °C per decade since 1970. These climatic shifts have led to changes in snow-to-rain ratios, earlier phenological events, and increased intensity of precipitation events, particularly in spring, posing challenges for early crop establishment.This thesis evaluated phenotypic diversity of the 76 accessions comprising the USDA NPGS Tartary buckwheat germplasm collection, along with two high-performing heirloom accessions isolated from the mixed seedlot of a regional grower (Bouchard Family Farms, Fort Kent, ME), to identify lines with superior traits, beneficial for early establishment. In the first study (Chapter 2), early seedling leaf area traits were assessed as a proxy for weed suppression potential. Cotyledons and first true leaves were harvested from greenhouse-grown plants using a randomized complete block design and their areas analyzed through a machine learning-assisted image pipeline. Next, germination performance was analyzed across temperature and moisture gradients (Chapter 3), simulating early-season stress conditions common to Northeast cropping systems. Finally, a pilot study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of controlled crosses within the collection using a hot-water emasculation method (Chapter 4). Because Tartary buckwheat is a predominantly self-fertilizing, cleistogamous species, successful emasculation is essential for genetic improvement through hybridization. Six accessions were tested across three flower development stages to refine timing and treatment conditions for emasculation. Together, these studies contribute to a deeper understanding of the genetic and phenotypic diversity within the pool of available Tartary buckwheat germplasm and explore foundational tools for improvement of the species for the region. The thesis findings support the selection of lines with superior early vigor and establish a framework for implementing controlled crosses, thereby enhancing the potential of this crop for sustainable integration into northeast cropping systems.

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