The scope for adaptation of quinoa in Northern Latitudes of Europe

Abstract

Due to the increasing global demand for quinoa, both as an Andean export commodity and for agricultural development purposes, there is considerable interest in testing quinoa for growing under a range of environmental and geographical conditions. One of the environments most distanced from the crops’ natural conditions is Northern Europe. Research work performed in Europe has demonstrated the potential of quinoa to be produced under European conditions, with varieties adapted to longer days, more humid environment and mechanization. Quinoa is now grown commercially outside South America, and the number of producer countries and area is rapidly increasing. To secure a successful cultivation of quinoa in Northern Europe, several aspects must be considered. The only cultivars to grow are daylength neutral varieties. Establishment of the crop is critical, as all small seeded crops require a shallow sowing depth in a uniform and humid seed bed. Weed control should be done as carefully and precisely as possible with hoeing between the rows. Harvest takes place when seeds are mature, and plants are dry. In Northern Europe, harvest is taking place in the beginning of September. Yields are 1–3 t/ha, and prices are high. Breeding efforts in quinoa aim at disease resistance against downy mildew (Peronospora variabilis), earliness, low saponin content and high yield. The scope for adaptation and marketing of locally produced quinoa in Northern Europe seems considerable.

Molecular characterization of Ecuadorian quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) diversity: implications for conservation and breeding

“…Furthermore, 5 quinoa varieties (Atlas, Pasto, Riobamba, Carmen, Red Carina) developed at Wageningen University and Research (Wageningen, The Netherlands) were included in this study to investigate the genetic relationship of Ecuadorian germplasm relative to genetic variants from other regions of the Andes. The 5 varieties (henceforth referred to as Dutch varieties) were derived through the systematic crossing of specific genotypes adapted to the climatic and day-length conditions of North-Western Europe, followed by pedigree selection (Jacobsen 2015). The genetic background of these lines is known to be primarily lowland Chilean (Van Loo, Personal Communication, 2018).…”

The Global Expansion of Quinoa: Trends and Limits

“…For commercial production, however, the removal of saponins is an additional cost. As a result, sweet cultivars have been developed for use in Europe, especially in the Netherlands (Mastebroek et al, 2000, 2002) and in Denmark (Jacobsen, 2015). …”

“…Landraces (crop populations with high level of intra-varietal diversity) from Central and Southern Chile, and in some cases from the highlands of Peru and Bolivia, are those most frequently often tested outside the Andes. In addition, researchers are mostly using only three varieties (Puno, Regalona, and Titicaca) registered through Plant Variety Protection (PVP; Bendevis et al, 2014a,b; Jacobsen, 2015). The geographical expansion of quinoa cultivation has led to an increase in the number of PVP into action worldwide.…”

“…Each of these ecotypes is associated with sub-centers of diversity (Risi and Galwey, 1984), and highly adapted to specific environments. For example, the sea level ecotype from the central and southern part of Chile is the most adapted to temperate environments (Galwey, 1993; Jacobsen, 1997, 2003; Christiansen et al, 2010; Bendevis et al, 2014a,b), useful in developing new varieties for northern latitudes (Jacobsen, 2015). Quinoa diversity is divided into five main ecotypes (Bazile et al, 2013):…”

Yield and Quality Characteristics of Different Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) Cultivars Grown under Field Conditions in Southwestern Germany

“…To buffer the discrepancies between demand and supply of quinoa, while simultaneously generating profitable sources of income for European farmers, there is a remarkable interest in growing quinoa at European latitudes [14,15]. As a result of different agro-ecological extremes (soils, rainfall, temperatures, and altitude) within the areas of origin, quinoa shows a broad genetic diversity and can be divided into five ecotypes highly adapted to specific environments, being tolerant against various abiotic stress factors (frost, drought, and salinity) [1,2,16].…”