Some Agronomic Strategies for Organic Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.)

Abstract

Quinoa is a potential new seed crop for protein feed and human consumption in Europe, with tolerance to a range of abiotic stresses. For this purpose the study was planned to analyse the effect of important agronomic strategies like nitrogen level, N application strategy, row spacing and harvest time on yield and quality of quinoa. The experiments took place in the field of the experimental station of the Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen. Three levels of organic nitrogen from slurry was used (60, 120 and 180 kg N ha À1 ), supplied either all at once at sowing, or split between sowing and beginning of the reproductive phase. The effect of row spacing and harvest time was studied by harvesting seeds at seed maturity, which occurred 2-3 weeks prior to the mechanical harvest by threshing, and a couple of months after. Yield increased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) with an application up to 180 kg N ha À1 , reaching 2200 kg ha À1 . Increasing N also caused a significantly increased seed weight (up to 3.3 mg) and protein content (up to 17 %). N level did not affect number and amount of weeds. Split application with part of the N applied at bud formation did not have a significant effect on yield. Delayed harvest had a negative influence on seed weight, whereas protein content was stable after harvesting even a month after seed maturity. A late harvest significantly reduced seed germination, being reduced by 50 % after a 2-month delay. A conclusion from this study is that both yield and protein content of seed can be manipulated by N level and application strategy. Harvest time is important for securing a high seed quality measured as seed germination, seed weight and protein content. A fast germination of quinoa is an important characteristic demonstrating that the crop has good possibilities for being well-established in the field when free from weeds at the time of sowing. The choice of row spacing is important and depends on weed control method. Weed control strategy should be developed based on modern precision tools.

The scope for adaptation of quinoa in Northern Latitudes of Europe

“…Seed yields have varied among years and locations, due to problems with establishment of the crop, weed control, harvest and post-harvest (Jacobsen, Christiansen, & Rasmussen, 2010). However, there is now much more stability in the production, as the techniques for establishing the crop, controlling weeds and harvest have been improved (Jacobsen & Christiansen, 2016). Commercial production was initiated in 2016 on 15 ha of Danish varieties.…”

“…Harvest takes place when seeds are mature, and plants are dry. Yield levels in Northern Europe are 1-3 t /ha, but with potentially higher yields as demonstrated in plot trials (Jacobsen, 1997;Jacobsen & Christiansen, 2016;Jacobsen et al, 1994Jacobsen et al, , 2010Jacobsen et al, , 2010Schulte auf'm Erley et al, 2005). A developmental stage scale was defined (Table 2).…”

Effects of Management Practices on Quinoa Growth, Seed Yield, and Quality

“…Quinoa seed yields under moderate management were quite low, around 500-700 kg ha −1 [4,5]. However, quinoa yield could be much higher under the proper management of irrigation (310-1300 mm) [6,7], nitrogen fertilization (120-180 kg ha −1 ) [8,9], and plant density (10-300 plants m −2 ) [5,10,11]. Therefore, higher quinoa yields may be attained by simultaneously optimizing irrigation, nitrogen fertilization, and plant density.…”

“…Nitrogen fertilizer should be important for quinoa because quinoa is high in protein content [9]. Quinoa seed yields generally increase with an increasing nitrogen rate [8,9,30].…”

Determination of pesticides residues in quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd) using QuEChERS and LC-MS/MS

“…Quinoa is an important grain crop, which has been cultivated for over 5000 years in the Andean region, and was important to the Incas for its high nutritional value (Stentiford et al, 2003;Nakata et al, 2006;Jacobsen and Christiansen, 2016). The leading producers of quinoa are Peru and Bolivia, however there is increasing interest in its production due to its tolerance to poor soils and water shortages, although its productivity ) is low in comparison with corn and rice (FAO, 2015).…”