Abstract
Abstract The adoption of quinoa as a potential food crop in semi-arid Zimbabwe is threatened by poor seed establishment. A 4 x 3 factorial experiment arranged in a completely randomised design (CRD) was carried out to establish the effects of irrigation frequencies and different soil types on germination and early growth of quinoa. Three soil types (sand, loam, and clay) and four irrigation frequencies (after every 1, 2, 3, and 4 days) were used. Measurements taken included days to 50% emergence, germination percentage, mean germination time, germination rate index, coefficient velocity of germination, seedling height, final crop stand, and root density. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was done using GenStat 18th Edition and mean separation was done using the Least Significant Difference (LSD) at a 5% significance level. There was an interaction between irrigation frequency and soil type on days to 50% emergence (p<0.05), germination percentage (p<0.05), germination rate index (p<0.05), seedling height (p<0.05), root length density (p<0.05), seedling crop stand (p<0.05). Sandy soil irrigated on 1-day intervals recorded the highest germination percentage (96.7%), while clay irrigated on 3-day intervals recorded the lowest (41.7%) final germination percentage respectively. Seeds planted in sand and clay recorded the shortest (3.25) and longest (4.5) mean germination time (days) respectively. Loamy and sandy soils irrigated on 3-day intervals and 1-day intervals recorded the lowest (29.4%) and highest (70.4%) germination rate index respectively. Loam soil irrigated on 1-day and 4-day intervals recorded the highest (16.37 cm) and shortest (9.3 cm) seedling height. Loam soil irrigated on 2-day and sandy soil irrigated on 3-day intervals recorded the lowest (3.07 cm/cm3) and the highest (21.23 cm/cm 3 ) root length densities respectively. Sand irrigated on 1-day intervals recorded the highest (85%) crop stand. Findings concluded and recommended planting and frequently irrigating quinoa in sandy soils for better crop establishment.
Highlights
The introduction of domestically grown quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd) in developing countries, especially in Africa, to be part of the diet has great potential in contributing to food and nutrition security [1-3]
Quinoa planted in sandy soils and irrigated after one-day intervals were the fastest to reach 50% emergence, emerging in an average of 2.67 days [Figure 1], even though there was no statistical difference between quinoa seeds planted in the sand, clay, loam irrigated after 1 day and sand irrigated after 2-day intervals
Quinoa seeds planted in loam soil and irrigated after 3-day intervals and in sandy soils irrigated after 4-day intervals took the longest to reach 50% emergence
Summary
The introduction of domestically grown quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd) in developing countries, especially in Africa, to be part of the diet has great potential in contributing to food and nutrition security [1-3]. Quinoa has attracted special attention around the globe due to its health and nutritional benefits, as well as its amazing ability to adapt to different growing environments, which include but not limited to nutrient-poor, saline soils and drought-prone marginal areas [5-8]. Quinoa is regarded as a drought-tolerant crop that can grow successfully and produce seed grain even in the dry semi-desert conditions that receive an annual rainfall of less than 200 mm [9-12] and even under extremely dry environments [13,14]. The introduction of quinoa in Zimbabwe is meant to address topical issues on food security, hunger, malnutrition and poverty in the face of the detrimental effects of climate change and variability. Food security in Zimbabwe is continuously being threatened by prolonged dry spells and droughts, especially in semi-arid regions, which are the most affected
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