Effect of sowing date and planting method on yield and yield components of three varieties of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd)

Abstract

The most important parameter for the adaptability a crop to different climates is the sowing date, as this has the greatest influence on the phonological characteristics of the plant. This study was conducted to determine the potential yield of different quinoa varieties sowed at various dates in hot and dry climates. The experiment was conducted as a split-plot experiment based on a randomized complete block design with four replications over two crop years, 2018–2019 and 2019–2020. The sowing date was considered as the main factor at four levels (October 21, October 31, November 10 and November 20), the sowing method (transplanting and seed sowing) as the sub-factor and the quinoa varieties (Gizal, Q26 and Titicaca) as the sub-sub-plot. The results showed that delays in sowing date reduced leaf area index (LAI), plant height, grain yield components, grain yield and biological yield of quinoa. The highest values for these traits were recorded for the first sowing date of October 21. Late transplanting was superior to direct seed sowing. Among the varieties studied, the Q26 variety was superior to the other two varieties in terms of growth, yield components and grain yield. The highest grain yield (2786 kg/ha) was recorded direct sowing on October 21 and the lowest (896 kg/ha) for under direct sowing on November 20 and 30, respectively. Overall, early autumn sowing was suitable for growing different quinoa varieties in the Khuzestan province due to the longer growing period and avoidance of heat stress at the end of the growing period. Transplanting did not have much advantage over early seed sowing, but was better than delayed seed sowing.