Anthocyanin is one important nutrition composition in Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) sprouts, a component missing in its seeds. Although anthocyanin biosynthesis requires light, the mechanism of light-induced anthocyanin accumulation in Tartary buckwheat is unclear. Here, comparative transcriptome analysis of Tartary buckwheat sprouts under light and dark treatments and biochemical approaches were performed to identify the roles of one B-box protein BBX22 and ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 (HY5). The overexpression assay showed that FtHY5 and FtBBX22 could both promote anthocyanin synthesis in red-flower tobacco. Additionally, FtBBX22 associated with FtHY5 to form a complex that activates the transcription of MYB transcription factor genes FtMYB42 and FtDFR, leading to anthocyanin accumulation. These findings revealed the regulation mechanism of light-induced anthocyanin synthesis and provide excellent gene resources for breeding high-quality Tartary buckwheat.

Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum Gaertn.) belongs to the family of Polygonaceae and is used as a multi-functional plant. R2R3-MYB transcription factors play a crucial part in plant growth and are involved in many biological processes where they regulate their internal environment. To date, there is no documented systematic research on the R2R3-MYB gene family in Tartary buckwheat. Here, domain features, chromosomal location, motif prediction, gene structure, cis-acting elements, as well as the expression pattern of R2R3-MYB transcription factors were analyzed comprehensively in Tartary buckwheat using a bioinformatic approach. Additionally, one R2R3-MYB gene was verified by transgenic Arabidopsis. Results indicate that a total of 152 R2R3-MYB genes were identified with special R2R3 domains and were distributed on 8 chromosomes of Tartary buckwheat. They were further classified into 25 sub-categories via phylogenetic analysis in terms of the R2R3-MYB gene family classification principles of Arabidopsis thaliana. This classification was further supported by analysis of exon–intron structure, motif, and cis-elements. Tandem and segmental duplication existed among the R2R3-MYB gene family of Tartary buckwheat, and there were 5, 8, 27, and 36 FtR2R3-MYB homologous genes, respectively, when comparing with Zea mays, Oryza sativa, Arabidopsis thaliana, and Solanum melongena by synteny analysis. The expression pattern of FtR2R3-MYB genes in different tissue and under salt stress and different light condition showed that members had tissue-specific expression levels and that these members may play diverse functions in plant growth and adaptation to varying environments. In addition, one of the FtR2R3-MYB gene families, FtMYB43, a homologue of AtTT2, clustered with R2R3-MYB from other plant species, which were reported to be involved in the regulation of anthocyanin or proanthocyanidin biosynthesis. This gene was located in the nucleus, and had transcriptional activation activity, indicating that FtMYB43 may be a positive transcript factor of anthocyanin or proanthocyadin biosynthesis. Moreover, the function of FtMYB43 was further verified to improve the production of anthocyanin in transgenic Arabidopsis by overexpression, and qRT-PCR assay implied that FtMYB43 may regulate the expression levels of most structural genes of the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway in Arabidopsis seedlings. These results provide more insights into the structure and function of the R2R3-MYB gene family and may accelerate the breeding of ornamental buckwheat cultivars.

To meet the demand of the breeding and processing industry of Golden Tartary buckwheat, quantitative identification models were established to test the content of leucine (Leu) and tyrosine (Tyr) in Golden Tartary buckwheat leaves by near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) with quantitative partial least squares (PLS). Leu’s modeling results were as follows: first derivative (11) pretreatment, the wavenumber range of 4000–9000 cm⁻¹ was appropriate for modeling (calibration sets: validation set = 6:1), the mean coefficient of determination (R²), standard error of calibration (SEC), and relative standard deviation (RSD) for the calibration set were 0.9229, 0.45, and 3.45%, respectively; for the validation set, the mean R², SEC, and RSD were 0.9502, 0.47, and 3.65%, respectively. Tyr modeling results were as follows: first derivative (11) pretreatment, the wavenumber range of 4000–10,000 cm⁻¹ was suitable for modeling (calibration sets: validation set = 4:1), the R², SEC, and RSD for the calibration set was 0.9016, 0.15, and 5.72%, respectively; for the validation set, the mean R², SEC, and RSD were 0.9012, 0.15, and 5.53%, respectively. It was proved that the Leu and Tyr content of Golden Tartary buckwheat could be quantified using the model structured by near infrared spectroscopy combined with the partial least squares method.

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum Mill.), a member of the family Polygonaceae, is a traditional crop valued for both its nutritional and medicinal properties, with common buckwheat (F. esculentum) and Tartary buckwheat (F. tataricum) being the main cultivated species. However, previous studies have not systematically compared the metabolic profiles of seeds from these two species. A comprehensive proteomic comparison between common buckwheat and Tartary buckwheat remains unexplored. In this study, isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based comparative proteome analysis was employed to comparatively analyze the seed proteomes of one representative cultivar of common buckwheat, ‘Fengtian 1’, and one representative cultivar of Tartary buckwheat, ‘Jinqiao 2’. A total of 3505 proteins were identified, with relative molecular weights (MW) ranging from 10–200 kDa and isoelectric points (pI) distributed in the range of 3.5–10.5. Among these identified proteins, 673 were classified as differentially expressed proteins (DEPs), of which 247 DEPs exhibited increased protein abundance in ‘Fengtian 1’, and 426 DEPs exhibited increased protein abundance in ‘Jinqiao 2’. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis revealed that the majority of these proteins are involved in molecular function, cellular components, and biological processes. Furthermore, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis showed that DEPs were mainly enriched in 16 metabolic pathways. These findings provide novel insights into the protein-level divergence between the two analyzed buckwheat cultivars, thereby establishing a theoretical foundation for future research on buckwheat taxonomy, nutritional evaluation, cultivar identification, and genetic breeding.