How much do sweet buckwheat seeds cost per jin? Differences from tartary buckwheat and planting and harvest times

Buckwheat is also called sweet buckwheat, black wheat, triangle wheat, flower buckwheat, and buckwheat seed. It is a short-day crop that prefers cool and humid conditions, is not tolerant of high temperatures and dry winds, and fears frost.So how much do sweet buckwheat seeds usually cost per jin? What is the difference from tartary buckwheat? When is it planted and harvested?According to Manager He of a seed company in Linyi, Shandong, the price of sweet buckwheat seeds is usually around 10 yuan/jin, with a sowing rate of 10--15 jin per mu, and it can be grown in most parts of the country.

What is the difference between sweet buckwheat and tartary buckwheat?

1. Different appearance and taste

The grains of sweet buckwheat have a very obvious “three-edged” angular shape and have no bitter taste when eaten; the grains of tartary buckwheat have a “three-edged” rounded shape and have a slightly bitter taste when eaten.

2. Different nutrition

The bioactive flavonoids contained in tartary buckwheat, such as rutin (vitamin P) and niacin (vitamin PP), are 13 and 5 times those of sweet buckwheat, while gramineous plants such as oats, wheat, and rice do not contain vitamin P; dietary fiber, protein, and vitamin B2 are 1.6 times, 1.65 times, and 3.16 times those of sweet buckwheat, respectively.

3. Different effects

1. Tartary buckwheat tea contains rutin, which can soften blood vessels and has effects such as lowering blood lipids, lowering blood sugar, lowering blood pressure, reducing weight and removing toxins, clearing human waste, and activating insulin secretion.

Tartary buckwheat tea is rich in protein, mineral elements, and bioactive substances such as 9 fatty acids and linoleic acid essential to the human body. It can strengthen the spleen and appetize, relieve constipation and moisten the intestines, beautify and nourish the face, refresh the mind, prevent insomnia, resist aging, resist oxidation, and balance human body functions. It has a magical function of nourishing the liver, protecting the liver, and sobering up after drinking.

4. Different uses

Tartary buckwheat and sweet buckwheat can be used as food, such as the familiar buckwheat tea. For making buckwheat tea, tartary buckwheat, the “king of five grains,” which is mostly made into tartary buckwheat tea, is undoubtedly better.

Buckwheat hulls can be used to make pillows. For making pillows, the content of tartary buckwheat and sweet buckwheat is similar, and both are very high, already exceeding normal use needs, but tartary buckwheat has much poorer breathability and is also much harder, with a slight smell not as good as sweet buckwheat. This is also the reason why tartary buckwheat hulls are much cheaper than sweet buckwheat.

5. Different suitable groups

Normally, tartary buckwheat is a food suitable for the old, the weak, women, and children. Because tartary buckwheat is rich in vitamin E and soluble dietary fiber, and also contains niacin and rutin (rutoside), and rutin has the effect of lowering human blood lipids and cholesterol, softening blood vessels, protecting eyesight, and preventing cerebrovascular bleeding, it is more suitable for diabetic patients, and especially suitable for people with poor appetite, no interest in food, gastrointestinal stagnation, chronic diarrhea, yellow sweat, and summer heatstroke.

The stems and leaves of sweet buckwheat have the effects of lowering blood pressure and stopping bleeding, and are suitable for high blood pressure, capillary fragility bleeding, preventing stroke, retinal hemorrhage, and lung hemorrhage. Patients with such diseases can eat more of it.

When is sweet buckwheat planted and harvested?

1. Sowing

Buckwheat is an annual herbaceous plant and can be sown multiple times in the same year. Different regions have different climates and different sowing times.

1. Sowing region times:

In the dry farming areas of northern China and the high-cold mountainous areas with one crop per year, it is mostly spring-sown; in the winter wheat areas of the Yellow River basin, it is mostly summer-sown; south of the Yangtze River and in the central and southern coastal areas, it is mostly autumn-sown; in subtropical areas, it is mostly winter-sown; in the southwestern plateau areas, it is spring-sown or autumn-sown.

It should be noted that spring sowing should be from late March to early May, and autumn sowing should be completed from late July to early August. Autumn sowing should be earlier rather than delayed.

2. Key points of sowing methods:

There are great differences in terrain, soil quality, and cropping systems among regions, so sowing methods also vary. The main methods are drilling, dibbling, and broadcasting. Scientific buckwheat cultivation should advocate drilling. Broadcasting results in uneven seed distribution, uneven emergence, poor ventilation and light transmission, and therefore low yield. Dibbling requires too much labor. Drilling has high sowing quality and is conducive to comprehensively coordinated development, thus increasing tartary buckwheat yield.

Drilling:

It is mainly plow sowing pulled by animal power. According to soil fertility and the branching habit of the variety, it is divided into narrow-row drilling and wide-row drilling.

For drilling, beds are opened at 167-200 cm, with a sowing width of 13-17 cm. The advantages of drilling are consistent depth, uniform seed drop, and neat emergence. In cases of severe spring drought and poor soil moisture, deep-moisture sowing and timely sowing ensure full seedlings. Drilling is also convenient for intertillage, weeding, and topdressing. For drilling, north-south ridges are better.

Dibbling:

Manual dibbling in dug pits is adopted. Apart from the difficulty of controlling seed quantity in manual dibbling, the number of holes per mu is also difficult to control, the use of nutrient area is uneven, and it also requires relatively more labor. Open beds at 167-200 cm, with row spacing of 27-30 cm and hole spacing of 17-20 cm. Sow 8-10 seeds per hole, and after emergence keep 5-7 plants.

Uniform bed broadcasting:

Bed width is 150-200 cm, bed ditch depth is 20 cm, width is 33 cm, and 3-4 kg of plump seeds are sown per mu.

Broadcasting:

In some areas, after wheat harvest, the land is first plowed and then seeds are broadcast. Because broadcasting has no distinction of plant and row spacing, density is difficult to control, the field population structure is unreasonable, dense areas form a pile, sparse areas show no seedlings, field management is difficult, and the yield is generally low.

2. Harvest:

Buckwheat takes about 2 and a half months from sowing to maturity.