Comparison of 4 Buckwheat Cultivars and 2 Planting Densities in 2 Mountain Places of Umbria (Central Italy)

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) is a pseudocereal grown on limited extensions in Italy and Western Europe in general, but is currently the subject of considerable interest from the scientific community and consumers for its unique nutritional properties: it is rich in vitamins and mineral salts, dietary fiber and antioxidant substances, and it is free of gluten. This species also has agronomic characteristics that make it suitable for cultivation in mountain environments, enabling farmers to extend and change crop rotations: a short growing season, limited nutritional needs, good adaptation to acid soils, tolerance to pests and weeds. Buckwheat cultivation in Italy is more common in the Alps, but recently experiments have been carried out which have shown its good adaptation to the climatic conditions of the Apennines. In this paper, we present the results of an experimental field trial conducted in the year 2015 in two mountain localities of Umbria (Castelluccio di Norcia and Norcia) in which were compared 4 varieties and 2 seeding densities. The results confirmed the suitability of the mountain places of central Italy (especially those located at high altitudes) for the cultivation of buckwheat and indicated significant differences between yields and grain quality traits of different varieties. The different seeding rates resulted in significant differences in some biometric parameters of plants, but not in production yields. Keywords— Cultivar evaluation, Fagopyrum esculentum, Italy, organic farming, planting densities.