Yulin Buckwheat

Yulin Buckwheat

　　Buckwheat is a crop with wide adaptability and a short growth period; it is one of the three major superior nectar source crops and also a good food-medicinal plant.

Buckwheat is highly adaptable, tolerant to poor soil and drought, and can grow well on newly reclaimed and infertile land. It plays an important role in increasing multiple cropping indexes and maximizing land productivity, and is known as a pioneer crop. Buckwheat has a short growth period, generally maturing in 60–80 days, and is often planted after early rice, broad beans, peas, or rapeseed. It can also be intercropped with green manure, broad beans, or wheat. Especially in disaster-affected areas where other crops fail to mature, buckwheat can be timely planted as a supplemental crop, ready for harvest in just over two months. With proper management, it can still yield a decent harvest. It can be planted in spring, summer, or autumn, which is why people also call it a famine relief crop.

Buckwheat seeds are highly nutritious. Buckwheat flour contains about 11% protein, higher than that of rice; over 2% fat, more than wheat and rice; and around 70% carbohydrates, higher than wheat. It also contains mineral elements such as iron, phosphorus, and calcium, as well as citric acid and malic acid. Each 100 grams of buckwheat flour also provides approximately 0.41 mg of vitamin B1 and 0.16 mg of vitamin B2, both exceeding the levels found in rice. Buckwheat is one of the cold-resistant and hunger-sustaining grains favored by farmers in frigid regions.