Content Knowledge about genetic variability parameters is imperative for improving crop plants for traits of economic importance. This paper reports the characterisation of a large germplasm set of an underutilised pseudocereal Buckwheat endemic to northwestern Himalayas in order to elucidate the nature of variability as well as identify trait specific genotypes for use in buckwheat breeding programmes. Aim The major aim was to estimate the genetic variability of yield and related traits in diverse germplasm lines of buckwheat collected from different regions of the north-western Himalayas. Methods The material was evaluated in a randomised complete block design with five replications at two different locations in SKUAST-K, Shuhama and MAR & ES Izmarg, Gurez, during the years 2020 and 2021. For assessing diversity patterns, the clustering of the germplasm from both locations was done by Tocher’s method. Key results The results indicated significant variability in the buckwheat germplasm for all morphological traits across locations. The phenotypic cofficient of variation and genotypic coefficients of variation (PCV, GCV), broad sense heritability and genetic advance values varied between locations. Pooled across locations, the highest PCV values were recorded for number of primary branches. Heritability ranged from low for number of secondary branches to medium for days to 50% flowering. Conclusion The present study provided valuable insights about the variability and trait diversity in buckwheat germplasm under Northwestern Himalayan conditions. Implications The information on variability parameters can be harnessed to develop an effective breeding strategy for improving buckwheat for traits of economic interest.

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum spp.) is an important crop in the high-altitude regions of the Northwest Indian Himalayas. The agro-climatic heterogeneity of this region offers a great deal of diversity in the agro-morphology of buckwheat species. In this study, a total of 61 accessions of Fagopyrum esculentum and Fagopyrum tataricum were characterized for 17 morphological (8 qualitative and 9 quantitative) traits. Significant differences (P < 0.0001) among all the traits were revealed by one-way analysis of variance. Further, significant phenotypic variability in both qualitative as well as quantitative traits was also observed. Both positive and negative correlations were observed between the traits of agronomic relevance. The principal component analysis (PCA) reveals about 69% variability among the first six components. The accessions were divided into two key clusters with numerous subclusters by considering the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean dendrogram. A cluster of 19 accessions was formed utilizing a PCA scatter plot indicating accessions with maximum values for important quality traits like plant height, leaf blade width, stem colour (red), primary branches, inflorescence length, flower colour (greenish-yellow), seed anthocyanin colour (green), seed shape (ovate) and seed weight. These accessions can be of vital significance for future buckwheat breeding programmes. The findings from the current study will form a favourable base for genetic resource management, improved cultivation and applications of buckwheat at the commercial level in the northwestern Himalayas of India.

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