Trends and Limits for Quinoa Production and Promotion in Pakistan

Abstract

Quinoa is known as a super food due to its extraordinary nutritional qualities and has the potential to ensure future global food and nutritional security. As a model plant with halophytic behavior, quinoa has potential to meet the challenges of climate change and salinization due to its capabilities for survival in harsh climatic conditions. The quinoa crop has received worldwide attention due to its adoption and production expanded in countries out of the native Andean region. Quinoa was introduced to Pakistan in 2009 and it is still a new crop in Pakistan. The first quinoa variety was registered in 2019, then afterward, its cultivation started on a larger scale. Weed pressure, terminal heat stress, stem lodging, bold grain size, and an unstructured market are the major challenges in the production and promotion of the crop. The potential of superior features of quinoa has not been fully explored and utilized. Hence, there is a need to acquire more diverse quinoa germplasm and to establish a strong breeding program to develop new lines with higher productivity and improved crop features for the Pakistan market. Mechanized production, processing practices, and a structured market are needed for further scaling of quinoa production in Pakistan. To achieve these objectives, there is a dire need to create an enabling environment for quinoa production and promotion through the involvement of policymakers, research institutions, farmers associations, and the private sector.

Current trends and prospects in quinoa research: An approach for strategic knowledge areas

“…However, since the quinoa reference genome was published, new transcriptomic studies have been completed on issues associated with tolerance to abiotic stresses. In addition, information on the tolerance of quinoa to other abiotic stress factors, such as frost, UV‐B radiation, and high air temperatures, is limited, which is why research continues in this regard (Afzal et al., 2022 ). Basic and transversal themes (low development and high relevance) focus on plant breeding to increase phenolic and antioxidant compound contents.…”

Worldwide Evaluations of Quinoa—Biodiversity and Food Security under Climate Change Pressures: Advances and Perspectives

“…In this Special Issue, new field trials evaluated the adaptability of quinoa to new environments in terms of yield, quality, and physiochemical characteristics in Belgium [ 10 , 11 ], Morocco [ 12 ], Pakistan [ 13 ], and Spain [ 14 ], in addition to selecting promising materials for breeding programs under greenhouse conditions [ 15 ]. The cultivation of quinoa was also reviewed in Pakistan [ 16 ] and Ecuador [ 17 ]. A large group of researchers from universities and research institutes from all over the world have proposed standard methodology guidelines [ 18 ] to be used for the phenotypic characterization of quinoa in order to improve comparability among field trials across the globe and to facilitate collaborations with the Global Collaborative Network on Quinoa (gcn-quinoa.org).…”

Challenges and Perspectives for Integrating Quinoa into the Agri-Food System

“…In 2019, quinoa's area was increased to 16,670 hectares in 25 provinces of China from 12,000 ha in 2018 [58], and currently 18 varieties are registered in China. The first quinoa variety in Pakistan was registered in 2019, while quinoa was introduced there in 2009 [59]. But, even having more than 6000 landraces in the Andes, less than 60 varieties are registered in national lists and catalogues today, which would permit the crop's cultivation in new countries [8].…”