Effect of sowing date of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) mother plants on germination of their seeds

Abstract

Quinoa production in Israel has great agricultural potential as a dual-purpose plant for grains and as a fodder crop. One of the main problems in growing quinoa in Israel is the low germination percentage of seeds from local production. This might be due to non-optimal seed production for growers. Thus, our main objective was to examine the effect of mother plant sowing dates on the germination parameters of quinoa seeds. Sowing date of quinoa mother plants affected the germination percentage and quality of the seeds. Mother plants sown during July-October produced more viable seeds than mother plants sown in November-January. This could be due to the prevailing hot temperatures during the filling phase of the developing seeds on the plant. Because the harvest date for July-October sowings is still within the rainy season in Israel, it is likely that quinoa can be grown for seed production in dry areas such as the southern Arava.