A Long Journey of CICA-17 Quinoa Variety to Salinity Conditions in Egypt: Mineral Concentration in the Seeds

Abstract

Quinoa may be a promising alternative solution for arid regions, and it is necessary to test yield and mineral accumulation in grains under different soil types. Field experiments with Chenopodium quinoa (cv. CICA-17) were performed in Egypt in non-saline (electrical conductivity, 1.9 dS m−1) and saline (20 dS m−1) soils. Thirty-four chemical elements were studied in these crops. Results show different yields and mineral accumulations in the grains. Potassium (K), P, Mg, Ca, Na, Mn, and Fe are the main elements occurring in the quinoa grains, but their concentrations change between both soil types. Besides, soil salinity induced changes in the mineral pattern distribution among the different grain organs. Sodium was detected in the pericarp but not in other tissues. Pericarp structure may be a shield to prevent sodium entry to the underlying tissues but not for chloride, increasing its content in saline conditions. Under saline conditions, yield decreased to near 47%, and grain sizes greater than 1.68 mm were unfavored. Quinoa may serve as a complementary crop in the marginal lands of Egypt. It has an excellent nutrition perspective due to its mineral content and has a high potential to adapt to semi-arid and arid environments.

Heat stress changes mineral nutrient concentrations in Chenopodium quinoa seed

“…Quinoa is frequently studied for its high tolerance to salt (Iqbal et al, 2020 ; Koyro et al, 2008 ; Ruiz et al, 2016 ; Schmöckel et al, 2017 ) and often proposed as an interesting crop for cultivation in regions of the world with high salinity soils (Adolf et al, 2013 ; Bazile et al, 2016 ; Choukr‐Allah et al, 2016 ; Grenfell‐Shaw & Tester, 2021 ; Hinojosa, González, et al, 2018 ; Iqbal et al, 2020 ). Quinoa seeds store approximately sixfold more Na when grown on saline soils (González et al, 2021 ), indicating that seeds may serve as a Na sink under saline conditions. The lower part of a quinoa plant is where leaves senesce first, and these senescing leaves have been shown to act as Na sinks (Iqbal et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Quinoa seeds store approximately sixfold more Na when grown on saline soils (González et al, 2021), indicating that seeds may serve as a Na sink under saline conditions. The lower part of a quinoa plant is where leaves senesce first, and these senescing leaves have been shown to act as Na sinks (Iqbal et al, 2020).…”

Box–Behnken Design: Wet Process Optimization for Saponins Removal From Chenopodium quinoa Seeds and the Study of Its Effect on Nutritional Properties

“…The loss magnitude varied widely between quinoa genotypes, from a 28% reduction for Titicaca to 70% for Ames 13727. The loss of potassium can be explained by its high water solubility and its position in the seeds (21,22). Figure 3 shows that potassium is mainly concentrated at the pericarp level (Spot 1A) against the cotyledon (Spot 2A) and the perisperm (Spot 3A).…”

Enhancement of Quinoa Grain Yield and Nutritional Quality by Potassium Fertilization Combined with Foliar Spraying of Seaweed Extract

“…Quinoa appeared to be an ideal, suitable, and promising new crop to be cultivated under newly reclaimed Egyptian soil conditions. However, it has not received adequate attention for its importance and unbelievable nutritional values, whereas public awareness of its value and potential does not yet exist (Shams, 2011;Eisa et al, 2017;Zohry, 2020;González et al, 2021). Quinoa has enormous potential; it is not only a gluten-free grain crop (Pereira et al, 2018;Villacrés et al, 2022), but it can also be used as a leafy greens crop (Abd El-Samad et al, 2018a; Pathan and Siddiqui, 2022), a fodder crop (Asher et al, 2020;Yilmaz et al, 2021) and in the food industry (Wang and Zhu 2016; Soliman et al, 2019).…”