Genotype × Environment Interaction in the Andean Grain Crop Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) in Temperate Environments

Ten varieties of quinoa with origins ranging from latitude 39° S to 12° S and from sea level to an altitude of 3,800 m were grown on two soil types in two years in Cambridgeshire, England, in order to assess the extent and nature of genotype × environment (G × E) interactions and identify genotypes suited for cultivation at temperate latitudes. There was evidence that varieties differed in their susceptibility to water logging during germination. Plant height was strongly influenced by competition with weeds, and varieties differed in their susceptibility to this. The number of days to anthesis and to maturity were strongly dependent on the variety, but these periods were generally longer following an earlier sowing. The grain yield was also strongly dependent on the variety, but weed competition, a micronutrient deficiency and bird damage affected the varieties differently. Varieties originating at high latitudes gave the highest yields, about 5,000 kg/ha. Earliness and yield were strongly associated at the level of variety means, but the pattern of G × E interaction differed among the variables measured.