Yield and Quality Characteristics of Quinoa Grown in Open Field Under Different Saline and Non‐Saline Irrigation Regimes

Abstract

A possible alternative to minimize the effects of salt and drought stress is the introduction of species tolerating these conditions with a good adaptability in terms of quantitative and qualitative yield. So quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) cultivar Titicaca was grown in an open field trial in 2009 and 2010 to investigate the effects of salt and drought stress on quantitative and qualitative aspects of the yield. Treatments irrigated with well water (Q100, Q50 and Q25) and corresponding treatments irrigated with saline water (Q100S, Q50S and Q25S) with an electrical conductivity (ECw) of 22 dS m−1 were compared. Salt and drought stress in both years did not cause significant yield reduction, while the highest level of saline water resulted in higher mean seed weight and as a consequence the increase in fibre and total saponin content in quinoa seeds.

Characterisation of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) accessions for the saponin content in Mediterranean environment

“…These results are in agreement with the study of Soliz-Guerrero et al (2002), who reported that saponin content is affected by a soil-water deficit, to the extent that high water deficits promote low saponin contents and with Pulvento et al (2012) who obtained, for a quinoa genotype (Titicaca), the highest saponin values in samples with full irrigation treatments.…”

“…Drought reduces by 45% the accumulation of sapogenins in quinoa seeds, based on one study of severe water deficit conducted in Southern Europe (Gomez-Caravaca et al, 2012), whereas salinity has the opposite effect (Soliz-Guerrero et al, 2002;Pulvento et al, 2012). More recently, however, a significant increase of saponins and other seed components has been reported in an arid location (irrigated) as opposed to a cold temperate climate (rainfed) site (Miranda et al, 2012;Miranda et al, 2013).…”

Effect of Nitrogen Fertilization and Organic Acids on Grains Productivity and Biochemical Contents of Quinoa Plant Grown Under Soil Conditions of Ras Sader-Sinai

“…Quinoa is generally recognized as one of the most saline tolerant crops known (Jacobsen, 2007). Some of its cultivars can give high yields under high salinity level of as high as 12 dS m -1 (Pulvento et al, 2012).…”

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) versus soja (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) en la nutrición humana: revisión sobre las características agroecológicas, de composición y tecnológicas

“…La quinoa ha mostrado una plasticidad para la tolerancia y/o resistencia al incremento del estrés salino y a la disminución de la disponibilidad del agua mayor que la soja 27 . La quinoa ha permitido mayores niveles de salinidad (solución salina con conductividad eléctrica máximo 52dS/m para quinoa 28 frente a 8,0dS/m para soja 29 ), ocasionando un bajo impacto en los rendimientos del grano 19,[30][31][32] , a diferencia de la significativa reducción que se ha observado en los granos de soja debido a la disminución del contenido de clorofila y de la actividad del fotosistema II 33 . El favorable comportamiento de la quinoa ha sido explicado a través de la respuesta de sus estomas al cierre y del eficiente sistema que posee para realizar ajustes osmóticos importantes para el mantenimiento de la turgencia de la hoja que la muestran insensible a las sequías y a cambios abruptos de salinidad.…”

“…El porcentaje de fibra dietética total para la quinoa varía entre 9,3 y 13,5% 15,31,44,68 y para la soja entre 11 y 19% 23,64,67 .…”