Yield of quinoa (Chenopōdium quīnoa Willd.) under the effect of cold stratification of seeds

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Purpose. To identify the effect of cold stratification of seeds on the growth, development and yield formation of quinoa. Methods. The research was carried out in 2022–2023 in the Demonstration and Collection Field of Crops of the Plant Breeding Department of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (Kyiv) and in two laboratories of the Plant Breeding Department: Seed and Planting Material and Analytical Research in Crop Production. Design of the experiment: 1) control seeds (CS); 2) stratified seed (SS) after 7-day exposure to low (0−4 °С) temperatures in the refrigerator. The plot area in the small-scale experiment was 2 m2 and replication was six times. Results. Stratified seeds of the ‘Kvartet’ variety germinated faster than the control seeds: they sprouted on the 5th day after sowing. Phenological stages of flowering and maturation in quinoa plants grown from seeds after cold stratification lasted longer compared to plants in control plots. Cold stratification of seeds contributed to a longer growing season and an increase in plant height to 116.3 cm. Prolonged explosion of quinoa seeds to low temperatures (0−4 °C) contributed to an increase in panicle length by 3.2 %, the number of branches on a panicle by 8%, the mass of seeds from one plant by 2.3%, and 1000-kernel weight by 3.9%. The crop yield reached 1.86 t/ha. Conclusions. Cold stratification of quinoa seeds before sowing helps to accelerate germination and germination rate: field germination increases by 5%, seedlings appear 4 days earlier, and the growing season is extended. Prolonged explosion of quinoa seeds to low temperatures (0−4 °C) in refrigerator helps to increase the indicators of individual productivity of plants and increases crop yield by 2.8%.