In Northern Europe, Chenopodium album, which is now recognized as a global weed species, was a secondary crop in Europe during the Iron Age. Although we have evidence that the species Chenopodium album L. had an importance as a crop in Europe, a domesticated form also existed in the Himalayas. Why researchers and breeders concentrated their efforts in Europe to adapt to temperate climates only the Chenopodium quinoa Willd, a tropical species. Considered for breeding programs this crop from the highlands of the Andes is adapted to growth at relatively low temperatures. The recent expansion of quinoa near the Mediterranean Sea is changing the context. Today, we could revise this view to use more adaptive capacities of C. album.
C. quinoa is thermophilic compared to C. album, and with the warmer temperatures of the planet, it is better to consider the former as a replacement. In Europe, even in Austria as a country of mountains, the summer temperatures are high. One important point with this crop is the probable epidemic occurrence of downy mildews under rainy or high RH conditions. Then, breeding for resistance against Peronospora variabilis, the causal oomycetous pathogen would be important. I currently work in southwest of Iran where it is very warm and humid and C. quinoa has been newly cultivated just for experimental purposes for the first time, however, the disease is extensively observed in experimental plots. This makes me worry about the similar work under humid conditions of Europe.
Perhaps these two species can be crossbred. Perhaps you need not choose one or the other.
http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-14387-8_3
The abstract of the link above states that the chapter has some information on interspecies crossabilty.
there's info. on C. album chromosome numbers here:
http://www.chromosomes.binoz.uj.edu.pl/chromosomes/pages/main.jsf
Chromosome number, or to be more specific, ploidy, can be altered in plants by using colchicine: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colchicine#Botanical_use
C. album (2n=18,36,54) is mainly used as a leafy vegetable and foliage crop,
though some Himalayas types are also cultivated for grain (to be considered as domesticated). The diverse forms of polyploïdy of the specie C. album open a wide domain for genetic studies without enough information today to understand in depth its relationship to C. quinoa and others species of the same generous.
Dear Babak Pakdaman Sardrood,
when you said that C. quinoa in more thermophilic than C. album, do you have any scientific results (publications) that allow to validate this ecological trait.
In my own experience in West Europe and in the Mediterranean region, the two species C. album and C. ambrosoides appear more tolerant to high temperature than C. quinoa. A field observation gives that if C. quinoa blooms with high temperature, we could observe a important decrease of seed production; it's not the case for C. album and C. ambrosoides.
Dear Didier Bazile
The species C. quinoa is a newly introduced species under study in Iran. One of our students tests its adaptability to the climatic conditions in Khuzestan, southwest of Iran, where date palms, sugarcane, etc are grown. Of course, the Province is vast and hot. You have also such temperatures in Europe as I have myself experienced in Halle (S) in Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany, or in Vienna, Austria, a small Country with its famous sky on mountains, but very hot and humid in summer. Till I know our quinoa plants had well flowered in Khuzestan. The disastrous disease on this plant I saw was downy mildew, also reported from the USA. We controlled it with metalaxyl-Mancozeb spray (1g/lit). Then, working on its breeding, the resistance to this disease is better not to be forgotten. It is a good nutritious plant needing less water. C. album, I have seen this plant in Tabriz, Azerbaijan where it is cold and snowy in winter and rather hot, not as Europe or Khuzestan, and with less RH in summer. Tabriz is surrounded with mountains, but Europe and Khuzestan are plain lower green lands with high humidity.
@ Dear Austrian Scientists, when I write ''Austria, a small Country with its famous sky on mountains'', I am just willing to indicate the expected even climatic conditions of that Country, not to do something impolite, small is a size, and mountains are mountains. We are all Humans and mostly Researchers and the website is ResearchGate. If You look at the main text, I had typed Country with capital ''C'' as You with capital ''Y'' mimicking German-spoken Countries where ''Sie'' is used to respect People. RG score for me is not of any value, but Your behavior as well as You Thoughts and Ideas are important for me. We are all Humans and We shall struggle to help Each other, to serve for Each other, to live for Each other, and to be sorrowful if there was a problem for Each other. I do not mean Just You, I mean All Humans in all Countries. Countries are the product of limited Minds, Europe has developed to European Union, while We see Tribal wars in some areas. What is important is Human. I have been in the beautiful and clean City of Vienna and I have learned much thanks to Dear Mr. Prof. Dr. Christian Peter Kubicek at Technische Universität Wien. Despite of all these, if I caused your annoyance I apologize for that. The One Who is impolite, cannot be called a Researcher or a Scientist even if S/He knows much but such a Science will produce not a Gift for Humanity but a Calamity for Whole Globe Organisms. Pardon me.
Dear Babak Pakdaman Sardrood,
Do you have any publication of your student working on tests of adaptability for quinoa to the climatic conditions in Khuzestan (Iran) with a description of agroclimatic conditions and cropping system description? BR, Didier
Dear Didier Bazile
In this point of time She has not published any article but I can ask her to share her data. Thanks very much for your encouraging eager, Best Regards, babak
Dear Didier,
in Lithuania since 1978 we had some breeding programmes for taxanomically related Amaranthus spp. Even the results been promising and new species been produced, crop cultivation remains very limited and done only by few enthusiasts.
Dear Saulius,
What are the reasons of this few enthusiasm for testing new crops? Is there any participatory experiments to associate farmers to develop innovations and to consider more their systems (cropping system in particular) during the process of introduction and adaptation of new crops?
Are you in touch with some colleagues in Lithuania whoa are experimenting quinoa?
Best regards
Didier
Dear Didier,
unfortunately I don't know reasons and can not comment situation among farmers. Last year the State Plant Service under the Ministry of Agriculture tested Vanedad Titicaca and Vanedad Puno varieties in two locations . You can find some numbers and pictures at http://manoukis.lt/naujienos/pasaulyje/18492-bolivines-balandos-perspektyvus-augalai-zemes-ukyje- unfortunately in Lithuanian only. As far as I know now further actions is planned.
Most experienced person with related crops is prof. Antanas Svirskis ([email protected]), national breeder of Amaranthus spp. Personally I am interested in establishing some experimental plots with quinoa various varieties and happy join broader initiatives.
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