Tartary buckwheat, known for its rich source of health beneficial secondary
metabolites, is cultivated in many areas of the world. Among different environmental
factors, photoperiod strongly influence its growth, flowering time, and ultimately the
yield. In this context, epigenetics could contribute significantly in the regulation of
plant response against changing environment. Therefore, with the aim to study the
involvement of DNA methylation in photoperiod mediated plant response, genome-wide DNA
methylation analysis was performed in two accessions (A1 and A2) of Tartary buckwheat
using three photoperiodic treatments, i.e., 10-hr light/day (T1), 12-hr light/day (T2),
and 14-hr light/day (T3). Flowering time and plant fresh weight data revealed that
accessions A1 and A2 prefer T1 and T2 treatments, respectively. Total DNA methylation
ratio increased with the increase in photoperiod in accession A1 but decreased under
same conditions in accession A2. Full methylation increased significantly while
intensive decrease in hemimethylation was noted from T2 to T3 in A1, whereas full
methylation strongly increased and hemimethylation strongly decreased from T1 to T2 in
A2. Overall, the DNA methylation events appeared more frequently than demethylation
events. This study reports for the first time an accession-/genotype specific pattern of
shift in the DNA methylation under different photoperiodic treatments that will pave the
way toward identification of specific genes involved in the regulation of plant response
against photoperiodic stress.