Source: WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to NRP
MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCKWHEAT
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1032811
Grant No.
2024-51300-43049
Cumulative Award Amt.
$3,300,000.00
Proposal No.
2024-03358
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2024
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2028
Grant Year
2024
Program Code
[113.A]- Organic Agriculture Research & Extension Initiative
Recipient Organization
WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY
240 FRENCH ADMINISTRATION BLDG
PULLMAN,WA 99164-0001
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Buckwheat, both common and Tartary, is an under-utilized crop ideally suited for organic systems with strong potential to address critical societal issues, including access to nutrition, diversifying diets, mitigating climate change, and adaptation to low-input agricultural environments, including use in no-till and dry-farming systems. Today, many organic growers utilize buckwheat as a soil building, weed suppressive cover crop, and although cover crops are valued as important parts of the "organic systems plan," they represent an opportunity cost for growers. Recently, demand in the US for CBW and TBW has grown as both species offer a highly nutritious, gluten-free alternative to cereal grains, and an opportunity to revive culturally significant cuisines and heritage food crops, however very few commercially available varieties of CBW exist, and we are not aware of any previous efforts on TBW improvement in the US. Thus, growers rely on seed labeled as "common buckwheat" "Tartary buckwheat" or "variety non-specific" without knowledge of the agronomic or food-value qualities of the seed source.Our project will help address the gap in access to diversity in seed options while optimizing agronomic practices and building markets to expand organic buckwheat production in the US. The More Bang for your Buckwheat project will expand organic farmers' and food businesses' access to a diversity of varieties of CBW and TBW well-suited to varied climates and markets with improved agronomic and food-value qualities. Research activities will advance our understanding of how best to leverage the crop potential for ecosystem services including insights into the genetic, agronomic, and environmental effects on soil health, soil aggregate stability, weed suppression, and pollinator habitat. Nutritional analysis will inform breeding strategies to optimize nutritional value for organic food products. Outreach activities and a farmer-participatory approach to plant breeding will increase farmers' uptake of optimum varieties and knowledge of agronomic management of the crop, ultimately improving the ecological health, productivity, and economic viability of organic farms. A value-chain, or push-pull approach, to outreach through events and promotional campaigns will build market awareness and demand ensuring ready uptake of expanded production of high-quality organic buckwheat.The diversity of stakeholders engaged in outreach along the supply chain will concomitantly build organic buckwheat production and markets. Market development efforts will strengthen stakeholder relationships from field to market by engaging farmers, processors, chefs, and school foods programs. Extension and related outreach activities will include field day/ buckwheat festivals on farms and research stations, development of promotional materials and marketing campaigns, point of sale product promotion at restaurants, farmers markets, organic stores, and schools, and showcasing buckwheat at three Culinary Breeding Network Variety Showcase events. Value chain coordination will engage participation in outreach activities among all project partners and advisors. Outreach activities will build organic buckwheat market opportunities for farmers of all scales and increase buckwheat uptake by diverse buyers and eaters.
Animal Health Component
60%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
10%
Applied
60%
Developmental
30%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
1021599107020%
2011599108020%
2021599108120%
5021599200020%
9031599303020%
Knowledge Area
102 - Soil, Plant, Water, Nutrient Relationships; 201 - Plant Genome, Genetics, and Genetic Mechanisms; 202 - Plant Genetic Resources; 903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery; 502 - New and Improved Food Products;

Subject Of Investigation
1599 - Grain crops, general/other;

Field Of Science
1070 - Ecology; 1081 - Breeding; 1080 - Genetics; 2000 - Chemistry; 3030 - Information and communication;
Goals / Objectives
The long-term goals of this project are to develop and release a suite of publicly available common (CBW) and Tartary buckwheat (TBW) varieties that address stakeholder-identified characteristics related to ecosystem services, grain yield and agronomic traits, nutrition, flavor and diverse end-uses, and cover cropping. Our proposed research will address the needs of organic farmers of all scales by developing nutritious varieties capable of diversifying their cropping rotations and market opportunities while providing ecosystem services such as increased habitat for pollinators, enhanced weed suppression benefits, and soil stabilization.Objective 1. Develop new varieties of common and Tartary buckwheat with enhanced traits related to agronomy, yield, ecosystem services, and/or health and nutritive value.Objective 2. Determine agronomic practices that maximize a suite of critical ecosystem services in organic production systems from common and Tartary buckwheat varieties.Objective 3. Develop a diverse and innovative suite of flavorful, affordable, and nutritious common and Tartary buckwheat food products accessible to consumers from all income levels.Objective 4. Conduct value-chain and market assessments, and disseminate knowledge gained and products developed to stakeholders across communities, schools, and underserved populations through a wide-reaching Extension and outreach effort.
Project Methods
Subobjective 1.1: Assess existing U.S. and European common and Tartary buckwheat germplasm for key agronomic, nutritional, and ecosystem service-related traits. We will phenotype a diverse group of CBW and TBW accessions from the USDA and European gene banks along with several commonly grown and publicly available buckwheat varieties on certified organic research stations in Washington, New York and New Hampshire. The panel will be planted using a randomized complete block design with four replicates, and plot sizes of approximately 1m x 4m at each location in Years 1 and 2. These buckwheat varieties will be evaluated for traits that a) improve productivity in organic systems, b) enhance ecosystem services (Obj. 2), and c) optimize nutritional value and end-use quality traits (Obj. 3).Subobjective 1.2: Conduct on-farm evolutionary participatory common buckwheat breeding trials to develop populations adapted to organic conditions across different environments. These populations from SubObj 1.1 will be grown by cooperating organic farmers (3 each in WA and NY, and 1 in NH) using an evolutionary participatory breeding approach throughout the early F2 to F5 generations. These populations will be planted, managed, and harvested by farmers each year, with joint farmer-researcher co-selection events during and after the growing season, depending on the trait. These populations will become the basis for future pedigree/pure-line selection in intermediate and later generations.Subobjective 1.3: Identify and develop improved Tartary buckwheat varieties for organic growers, processors, and end-users On certified organic land at the NH Agricultural Experiment Station, we will phenotype the full set of 76 diverse Tartary buckwheat accessions maintained by the USDA National Plant Germplasm System, along with historic lines that can be obtained from traditional growers in the Northeast.Subobjective 1.4: Develop an efficient and informative genotyping protocol to enable F. esculentum variety identification and track the effects of selection We will use high-throughput sequencing to develop a robust methodology for genotyping US "varieties" (really randomly intermating populations) of CBW - a first and necessary step toward formalizing variety identification and boosting farmer confidence in the seed system. These genotyping methods will be leveraged in Year 4 to gain insight into genomic regions under selection by organic farmers in the PNW and NE.Subobjective 2.1: Determine the effects of buckwheat planting date and genotype on buckwheat performance related to ecosystem services of soil nutrient cycling, soil stability, weed suppression and ecology, support of pollinators, and food provisioning (yield). Planting date trials in each location will be set up in a split-plot randomized complete block design with four replications, with planting date as the main plot and buckwheat genotype (or other comparison summer cover crop) as the subplot.Subobjective 2.2: Determine the effects of buckwheat seeding rate and genotype on buckwheat performance related to ecosystem services of weed suppression, promotion of pollinators, nutrient cycling, and food provisioning (yield). Seeding rate trials will also be in a split-plot randomized complete block design with genotype as the main plot and seeding rate as the subplot.Subobjective 3.1: Characterize functionality traits of top-performing varieties and breeding lines of each buckwheat species. As described in our previous publications, selected varieties from the agronomic and breeding trials (in both whole seed and whole seed flour forms) will be functionally characterized to determine their unique attributes. Characterization will include flour swelling power, water and oil absorption capacities, foaming capacity, foam stability, emulsification capacity, emulsion stability, thermal properties, and pasting properties. TSubobjective 3.2: Characterize the nutritional composition and end-use quality traits of buckwheat varieties. Our standardized methods include identifying fats (lipidomics), specialized metabolites and other small molecules (metabolomics), minerals and metals (ionomics), as well as a method to facilitate the discovery of novel secondary metabolite biomolecules. Additionally, the PTFI has developed a core minimum metadata module for describing samples in its database and is working on developing additional metadata modules to describe the biophysical and socio-cultural attributes of edible species, including climate variability, sustainable agriculture, and taxonomic modules.Subobjective 3.3: Product development to optimize nutrition and diversify end-uses. We will develop value-added food products using baking, extrusion, and frying technologies from specific buckwheat varieties selected based on the data from Objectives 1 and 2. We aim to work on four categories of food products: pancakes, extruded snacks, baked products, and fried snacks.Subobjective 4.1 Value-chain farm-to-school market development. The methods the team will use for value chain development with school partners deploy strategies known to be successful in promoting acceptance of new foods in school meal programs. The methods proposed include a) industry partnership with Cascade Milling in Royal City, WA, to ensure the product is available in a useable form (muffin mix), b) provision of educational materials to school lunchroom and classrooms c) classroom taste testing, and d) immersive experience at a youth farmers' market. Method (a) was developed because milling and mixing infrastructure for organic buckwheat are extremely rare in Washington State as elsewhere.Subobjective 4.2. Conduct Extension and outreach events targeting farmers, millers and processors, food companies, consumers, and other stakeholders Outreach events will connect organic farmers and buyers building supply chain relationships to increase demand and grow regional production and distribution of organic common and Tartary buckwheat flour, grains, and value-added products. Four types of venues will achieve this objective including: i) field days hosted as an on-farm buckwheat festival, ii) Food science Extension activities; iii) Variety Showcase events, and iv) point-of-sale regional market festivals.

Progress 09/01/24 to 08/31/25

Outputs
Target Audience:During this reporting period, the participatory breeding component of the project specifically engaged organic farmers located in the Northeast and Northwest regions of the United States. In the Northeast, two organic farmers actively participated in evolutionary participatory breeding efforts, and one in the Northwest. These trials focused on selection and adaptation of a French evolutionary buckwheat population. These farmers contributed to the selection and adaptation process, helping to shape crop varieties suited to organic systems. Farmers also participated in on-farm variety trials including five farms in the Northwest. Additionally, outreach efforts have sparked interest among other farmers in the two regions, who have expressed a desire to participate in future breeding activities. This indicates a growing network of organic producers interested in collaborative, farmer-led plant breeding initiatives. Addiitonally, the Buckwheat Festival, and other outreach efforts put on by the WSU Breadlab, the Culinary Breeding Network, Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming, and the Hudson Valley Farm Hub targeted producers, processors and millers, and consumers interested in learning more about the breeding process and working with buckwheat in food products. WSU's Thurston County Extension program also created a buckwheat pancake mix in collaboration with Cascade Milling, for implementation in school breakfast programs throughout Washington state. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has provided several valuable opportunities for training and professional development. For the Northeast participatory breeding team, training has included meetings with project members who possess expertise in buckwheat growing and breeding. These interactions occurred both online and in person during the Year 1 Annual Meeting, offering participants direct access to expert knowledge and collaborative learning. Additionally, the team established a WhatsApp group to facilitate informal communication and photo sharing, which has fostered a more dynamic and interactive group learning environment. In Vermont, a PhD candidate collaborated with the project, conducting buckwheat trials at University of Vermont with the intention of integrating buckwheat participatory plant breeding into their research scope. Meanwhile, Thurston County Extension has engaged in professional development by collaborating with Cascade Milling and Washington State University's Office of Commercialization. This partnership has enabled the team to gain insights into the process of marketing and selling a WSU-branded product, enhancing their understanding of commercialization strategies and product development. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results of the buckwheat breeding and production project have been actively disseminated to communities of interest through a combination of direct farmer engagement, educational events, and collaborative product development. Participating farmers have gained valuable insights through observations on their own farms and through interactions with researchers and peers during the project's Year 1 Annual Meeting. In New York, a well-attended on-farm field day in September 2024 drew 125 participants and focused on buckwheat production practices, including planting, harvesting, agronomic management, and variety selection. Similarly, in Washington, a field day held in July 2025 at WSU Mt. Vernon Northwestern Resarch & Extension Center (NWREC) provided approximately 50 local farmers and agricultural consultants the opportunity to observe agronomic trials and variety development efforts firsthand. Additionally, Thurston County Extension leveraged survey feedback to assist Cascade Milling in developing a buckwheat pancake mix, demonstrating how research findings are being translated into marketable products that benefit both producers and consumers. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period, the Northeast and Northwest participatory breeding groups plans to expand by incorporating an additional 2-4 growers into either on-farm breeding or variety trialing. Variety trial sites will be strategically placed near on-farm breeding locations to help contextualize observed traits in breeding populations and to provide a space for convening participating growers. Evolutionary on-farm breeding will continue, either by harvesting seed from all successful plants or by selecting for specific traits identified by participating farmers. Under Objective 2, the team will continue with the 2025 agronomic trial, analyze the results, and share their findings at winter grower meetings and through an outreach publication. Preparations will also begin for Year 2 of the trial, scheduled to launch in Spring 2026. Additionally, seed samples from three trial sites will be sent to Colorado State University and Washington State University for nutritional analysis, supporting Objective 1. Drs. Prenni and Ganjyal will continue their respectivemetabolomic, ionomic, and product development analysis on seed harvested in Fall 2025 from our Spring and Summer variety trials. Thurston County Extension will host a Youth Farmers Market featuring buckwheat pancake mix and other local produce. The event will include live demonstrations of buckwheat pancakes being made on-site and educational materials about the project. Extension staff will also continue fostering a partnership between Cascade Milling, WSU, and two local farms to develop a branded buckwheat pancake mix for sale at PCC Co-ops and other local retailers. Distribution of the pancake mix to school districts will continue, along with the collection of surveys to gather feedback and assess impact. The Buckwheat Festival will be held again, this time at Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming in New York's Hudson Valley. The WSU Breadlab will also be hosting a Grain Gathering targeting producers, millers, and consumers of whole grains, including buckwheat.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Significant progress has been made toward the goal of developing a diverse and innovative suite of flavorful, affordable, and nutritious common and Tartary buckwheat food products accessible to consumers from all income levels. In the area of common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), a breeding program was initiated to introgress the self-pollinating trait into four agronomic and culinary classes: soba type ("Koto"), kasha type ("Tinker"), crepe type ("La Harpe"), and forage/cover-crop type ("Lincoln," tentatively named). Ornamental types, including red-flowered and variegated varieties, are also under development. Breeding lines have been initiated to improve agronomic traits such as lodging resistance, high leaf area, large seed size, local adaptation, and dwarfing. At Washington State University (WSU), F1 progeny of self-pollinating common buckwheat have been developed, and third-generation selections are underway for large-seeded, thick-stemmed, and high-leaf area types. Screening of germplasm for green testa-layer seeds, a trait strongly preferred by chefs and importers in the soba-noodle market class, has been initiated, with initial selections being grown in the greenhouse at WSU.. Efforts to develop Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tartaricum) varieties have also advanced. Trials and assessments have begun, and the development of perennial Tartary-derived breeding lines is underway, contingent upon the successful import of perennial buckwheat seed. A subgoal of this effort includes breeding Tartary buckwheat with cymosum-type flowers to support pollinator populations. At WSU, project breeders evaluated a diversity trial of approximately 150 accessions of F. esculentum and forty accessions of F. tataricum from the USDA-ARS Germplasm Resources Information Network(GRIN). Results of these trials will inform future breeding efforts. Evolutionary participatory breeding has been initiated on farms in both the Northeast and Northwest. In the Northeast, two farmers planted quarter-acre plots of a buckwheat population developed using participatory methods in Brittany, France. In collaboration with Dr. Solveig Hanson, the farmers observed the population's traits and discussed future selection strategies. For the first year, the group chose to harvest the seed crop at each site to promote regional adaptation. To test the nutritional compounds of these varieties, Drs. Jessica Prenni and Iago Hale have initiated a collaboration where Prenni's lab will perform a preliminary compositional analysis of metabolomics and ionomics of Tartary and common buckwheat and look at the different parts of Tartary buckwheat (endosperm, germ, and groat). The goal of this analysis is to provide insight on the impact of processing to the composition of the Tartary buckwheat product. Complementing these breeding efforts, product development and community outreach initiatives have brought buckwheat foods directly to schools and consumers. Thurston County Extension developed a buckwheat pancake mix tailored for school kitchens, designed to appeal to elementary school students and be easy for cafeteria staff to prepare. In collaboration with Cascade Milling, 500 pounds of the mix was produced and packaged in 25-pound bags. Distribution was coordinated through partnerships with the Southwest Washington Food Hub, LINC Foods, several school districts, and Farm to School coordinators, successfully reaching 22 schools. To support implementation and engagement, the team created a video explaining how to use the mix, outlining the goals of the project, and inviting feedback from school staff and students. The Extrusion processing lab at WSU conducted two studies exploring the functional properties of buckwheat. They found that, in common buckwheat, varietal stability and protein extraction methods significantly impact its agronomic traits and food functionality. The "Tinker" variety showed consistent performance across growing years, while "Kitawase" and "Koto" were less stable, highlighting the need for multi-year trials. Additionally, protein extraction methods, especially the deep eutectic solvent technique, altered protein structure and functionality, suggesting processing plays a key role in end-use applications. To further increase public awareness and market demand, a comprehensive suite of marketing and educational materials was developed. These included a Buckwheat Art Poster to attract consumer attention, a Buckwheat Zine featuring educational content and over 20 original recipes, and recipe cards for easy distribution. Stand-alone buckwheat illustrations were created for flexible use in social media, promotional materials, and retail displays. Outreach efforts were amplified through a targeted social media campaign on the Culinary Breeding Network's Instagram account, which has over 30,700 followers. Additionally, journalist Elena Valeriote published an article titled From Bees to Beer, Buckwheat is a Climate Solution Crop in Civil Eats, highlighting buckwheat's environmental and culinary value. Partnerships with high-profile chefs and bakers--including Kachka, Pizza Thief, Lovely's Fifty Fifty, and Pinolo Gelato--helped feature buckwheat on menus and increase public exposure. The Buckwheat Fest at the WSU Breadlab in Mt. Vernon, WA (August 2025) hosted 120 people and was a major outreach event, where chefs and bakers were recruited and promotional support was provided. Buckwheat-focused tables were also organized and staffed at two major Portland food events: Variety Showcase (September 2024) and Sagra del Radicchio (December 2024), each drawing over 800 attendees. These events featured tastings, educational materials, and interactive engagement to build appreciation for buckwheat. Additional stakeholder engagement was achieved through participation in regional and national events. At the New York Farm to School Summit (November 2024), hosted by the NYS Department of Education and Cornell Cooperative Extension, Glynwood Grains and Staples presented buckwheat products and educational materials to over 500 stakeholders. Collaborations with Birkett Mills explored distribution options for New York City and Hudson Valley markets. The Lenox Hill Teaching Kitchen provided institutional-scale recipes and samples, including a buckwheat sheet pan pancake. Further outreach included the "Cooking with New York State Grains and Beans" workshop (March 2025) at Second Chance Foods in Brewster, NY, which offered tastings, recipes, and guidance on integrating local grains and beans into institutional menus. The Hudson Valley Value-Added Grain School (February 2025), co-produced with Cornell Cooperative Extension, featured buckwheat products and program materials for farmers and stakeholders. Together, these breeding, product development, marketing, and outreach efforts represent a comprehensive and collaborative approach to making buckwheat a flavorful, nutritious, and accessible crop and food source for diverse communities and markets.

Publications

  • Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2025 Citation: Suri S, Kamboj A, Guo X, Murphy K, Ganjyal GM*. 2025. Buckwheat starch isolated from varieties grown in Washington State: A Qualitative Characterization. Journal of Food Science. (In Press).
  • Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: Nalbandian E , Park D , Camerino N , & Ganjyal GM*. 2025. Value-added pancakes: Incorporation of whole wheat, buckwheat, quinoa, and proso millet flour into pancakes and their effect on product quality. Cereal Chemistry: 102(1): 226-238.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2024 Citation: Kaur, G., Neely, C., Griffin LaHue, D., LaHue, G., Neely, H. L., Murphy, K., & Gerrish, B. (2024) Soil to Society: An Approach to Enhance Soil Health and Crop Nutritional Quality [Abstract]. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX. https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2024am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/162172