Quinoa's Potential in the Mediterranean Region

The climate of Mediterranean region will become drier and hotter, with increasedproblems of soil salinity. A possible alternative to minimize the effects of climatechange is to introduce species with better tolerance to salt and drought stresses.One of the options is quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.), which was grown infield trials in several Mediterranean countries, to study the effects of drought andsalinity on yield and other characters. Drought stress during the vegetativegrowth stage leads to deep root development, and without stress conditions forthe rest of the growing season allowed the plant to be able to optimize its photosynthesisand carbon translocation. Stress during seed filling recorded the lowestyields. The influence of organic matter on yield was more important under deficitirrigation than under full irrigation. The interaction between relative water contentand leaf water potential indicated that regulating cellular water deficit andvolume is a powerful mechanism for conserving cellular hydration underdrought. In all climatic conditions, drought and use of irrigation water withsalinity up to 30 dS m1 caused slightly reduced yield as compared to full irrigationwith fresh water. Highest values of water conductivity resulted in higher seedweight, and as a consequence, an increase in fibre and total saponin content, anda small decrease in free phenolic compounds in quinoa seeds. The yield increasein quinoa accessions was less at the highest level of nitrogen application, that is,200 mg kg1 soil, compared with other levels of nitrogen application, that is, 50,100 and 150 mg kg1 soil.