Evaluation of the Composition and Accumulation Pattern of Fatty Acids in Tartary Buckwheat Seed at the Germplasm Level

Abstract

Tartary buckwheat seeds not only contain higher contents of bioactive flavonoids, but also are rich in fatty acids. However, the composition, accumulation patterns, and biosynthesis genes of fatty acids in Tartary buckwheat seeds remain largely unclear. Here, we investigated the total lipid content, total flavonoid content, and ten fatty acids in the seeds of 31 different Tartary buckwheat accessions, analyzed the accumulation patterns of ten fatty acids during seed development, and identified the biosynthesis genes of fatty acids. The results indicated that there were significant differences in the total lipid content, total flavonoid content, and ten fatty acids among different Tartary buckwheat accessions. Among these ten fatty acids, the palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid were the most abundant fatty acids in Tartary buckwheat seeds. A total of ten fatty acids displayed five kinds of different accumulation patterns during the development of seeds. A total of 14 genes involved in the biosynthesis of main fatty acid were identified and it was found that FAD5 may play a crucial role in fatty acid biosynthesis in Tartary buckwheat seed. These results not only indicate that Tartary buckwheat is an excellent food source, but also provide helpful information for new cultivar breeding with high health-promotion value.