Summary
This field and laboratory study evaluated the cold-stress adaptation of quinoa across highland and coastal ecotypes under conditions relevant to European cultivation. Highland accessions demonstrated superior germination performance under low temperatures, whilst coastal types showed faster maturity and higher yields. The findings suggest that early sowing despite reduced emergence can yield the highest harvests (64 g/plot), and that breeding programmes combining the germination resilience of highland lines with the yield and maturity traits of coastal ecotypes could improve quinoa varieties for cold climatic regions.
Regional applicability
The study was conducted in south-western Germany and directly addresses quinoa adaptation to European and Mediterranean conditions on marginal lands, making the findings directly applicable to United Kingdom temperate farming contexts. The breeding recommendations for combining highland and coastal traits are transferable to UK cultivation programmes seeking cold-tolerant, high-yielding quinoa varieties.
Key measures
Seedling emergence timing and percentage, seed yield per plot (g), germination performance under cold and control temperatures, phenotypic variation across sowing dates, automated image analysis agreement with manual scoring
Outcomes reported
The study evaluated germination and phenotypic variation in 60 quinoa accessions (highland and coastal ecotypes) across three sowing dates in south-western Germany, and assessed germination performance under controlled cold (4.4°C) versus control (18.3°C) conditions using manual scoring and image analysis.
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