Morphological and Biochemical Characterization of Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) - A Preliminary Study

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a pseudocereal grown for its edible seeds and has been the staple food crop in Andean region of South America. Global interest on cultivating quinoa grew due to its outstanding nutritional richness and resistance to abiotic and biotic stress conditions. However, quinoa has not received due recognition as a high-scope crop in Sri Lanka mainly because of lack of knowledge about the crop. The aim of the study was to investigate growth and development and morphological and biochemical characteristics of selected varieties of quinoa. A preliminary pot experiment in greenhouse conditions (27-31⁰C, 65-70% RH and 16/8h light dark period) was conducted using three commonly grown commercial varieties in the world, namely, Amarillo Marangani, INIA 427 Amarillo Sacaca and Blanca de Junin (05 replicates each). Morphological characteristics (plant height, stem diameter and number of branches) were recorded across 32-weeks. Total chlorophyll and carotenoid, and proline contents of the fully opened new leaves, and total protein contents of the seeds were analyzed. Data were subjected to descriptive data analysis using Minitab software (version17.1). After 32-weeks of growth, all the varieties reached a mean height of 70-90 cm, and a mean stem diameter of 7.0 - 9.5 mm. INIA 427 Amarillo Sacaca variety showed a rapid increase in height and stem diameter. Total chlorophyll contents were in the range of 2.8-3.3 μg/g and average proline contents were 4.7- 9.9 μmoles /g of fresh weight again recording significantly higher values for INIA 427 Amarillo Sacaca variety (3.30, p=0.05) and (9.90, p=0.05 ) respectively. Total protein contents of the seeds were 1300-1900 ppm and seeds of INIA 427 Amarillo Sacaca variety recorded the highest protein content. Preliminary data showed enhanced growth performance in INIA 427 Amarillo Sacaca compared to the other two varieties. Further, high proline accumulation in leaves of this variety suggests better stress tolerance ability. The findings of this study will provide groundwork for comprehensive future research to initiate growing quinoa as a novel crop.