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.
Highlights
Climate change is a reality, and we already see today its effects on the physiology, growth, and yield of field crops
Electrical conductivity (EC) and organic matter, Cl, Na, Mg, K, Ca, SO4, and Fe contents are higher in saline soil (Table 1)
This study demonstrated the high resilience of the CICA-17 variety of quinoa to two contrasting edaphic situations in Egypt
Summary
Climate change is a reality, and we already see today its effects on the physiology, growth, and yield of field crops. The climate change effects and the bad agronomic practices have increased the saline soil areas. By soil salinity, and more than 77 million ha from the arable area are affected by high salt contents [2,3]. It is necessary to look for alternative crops or “new crops” to face the “new climatic conditions” In this sense, it is crucial to consider some species that grew during millennia in mountain regions under extreme environmental conditions. It is crucial to consider some species that grew during millennia in mountain regions under extreme environmental conditions Mountain plants, especially those adapted and cultivated in different altitudinal levels, can be crucial due to the gene pool that allowed these adaptations. Quinoa presents a C3 photosynthetic pathway according to anatomic and carbon isotope discrimination studies [6], with high photosynthetic assimilation and an intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE) [7,8]
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