Morphological and Physiological Aspects of Evolution in Common Buckwheat

Comparative morphological and physiological studies of the ancestral forms (Fagopyrum homotropicumO. and F. esculentumssp. ancestraleO.) and the various morphogenotypes of common buckwheat (F. esculentumMoench.) were carried out in glasshouse experiments in a soil culture. A considerable reduction of plant morphogenesis, a restriction of the growth of the vegetative organs, and the ecological and agricultural specialization (accompanied by the change in the primary adaptive life strategy from competitive (c) to ruderal (r) or to combined c/rtype) occurred in the evolution of common buckwheat. The reduction of morphogenesis was accompanied by changes in some of the morphological and anatomical structures and their functions, primarily, the source–sink relationships among plant organs. Compensatory mechanisms were developed, and the nutritional compounds became reutilized as an additional source for fruit formation and ripening.