Technological quality of common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench.)

Seven cultivars of common buckwheat were tested in field trials under two levels of nitrogen fertilisation on two experimental sites during 1998-2000. The aim of the experiments was to evaluate the influence of cultivar, nutrition and year on main technological quality parameters (thousand achenes weight, volume weight, proportion of fractions on sieves 4.5 and 4 mm, proportion of husks and yield of groats). The differences were observed between buckwheat cultivars in all observed parameters of technological value. Nitrogen fertilisation before sowing (50 kg.ha(-1)) did not influence any parameter. On the contrary, buckwheat technological value was influenced by sequence weather (particularly rainfalls) during flowering and achenes formation periods (July). The influence of year was manifested especially on development of endosperm and husks of achenes. Better growing conditions on experimental site Uhcineves caused lower values of volume weight, lower proportion of pericarp (husks) and considerably higher proportion of fraction over 4.5 mm.