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Worldwide Evaluations of Quinoa and Amaranth—Biodiversity and Food Security under...
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Worldwide Evaluations of Quinoa and Amaranth—Biodiversity and Food Security under Climate Change Pressures Volume II

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Physiology and Crop Production".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 8148

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Didier Bazile

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. CIRAD, UMR SENS, F-34398 Montpellier, France
2. UMR SENS, CIRAD, IRD, Univ. Paul Valery Montpellier 3, Univ. Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
Interests: agrobiodiversity; agroecology; plant genetic resources for food and agriculture; quinoa; neglected and underutilized species; cropping systems; food security; adaptation to climate change
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Cataldo Pulvento

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences (DISSPA), University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Orabona, 4, 70126 Bari, Italy
Interests: soil water plant relations; abiotic stresses; agronomy; herbaceous crops; quinoa; amaranth
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

After the success of the Special Issue "Worldwide Evaluations of Quinoa—Biodiversity and Food Security under Climate Change Pressures" with 29 published papers, we propose a second volume with the aim of collecting the most recent studies on quinoa underway in various universities and research centers around the world. Thanks to its interesting agronomic and nutritional characteristics, quinoa has in fact gained interest in various countries outside the area of origin where it began to be cultivated and marketed. In addition to quinoa, this Special Issue is also open to works relating to the studies carried out on grain amaranth. Grain amaranth is a herbaceous crop native to Central and South America that, like quinoa, is attracting great interest due to its resistance to abiotic stress and protein quality.

Related SI:

Worldwide Evaluations of Quinoa—Biodiversity and Food Security under Climate Change Pressures

https://www.mdpi.com/journal/plants/special_issues/quinoa

Dr. Didier Bazile
Dr. Cataldo Pulvento
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • quinoa
  • amaranth
  • biodiversity
  • food security
  • climate change
  • screening
  • best agronomic practices
  • soil–water–plant relations
  • environmental adaptability
  • ecophysiological traits

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 2890 KiB  
Article
Effects of Defoliation Timing and Intensity on Yield Components and Grain Quality of Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.)
by Maria I. Ahumada, Nathaniel B. McCartney and Rodrigo A. Chorbadjian
Plants 2025, 14(3), 413; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14030413 - 30 Jan 2025
Viewed by 598
Abstract
Understanding plant tolerance to defoliation is crucial for sustainable pest management and reducing pesticide use in food production. This study explores quinoa’s (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) responses to foliar damage, which have been largely unexamined. Over two seasons, quinoa plants were subjected to [...] Read more.
Understanding plant tolerance to defoliation is crucial for sustainable pest management and reducing pesticide use in food production. This study explores quinoa’s (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) responses to foliar damage, which have been largely unexamined. Over two seasons, quinoa plants were subjected to mechanical defoliation at different pre-reproductive stages and intensities (0–60%) in the first season, and both mechanical and insect-induced (Trichoplusia ni (Hübner), Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) defoliation in the second. The results showed that quinoa plants consistently tolerated defoliation without reductions in grain number, weight, above-ground biomass, or harvest index. These compensatory responses were independent of the defoliation method, timing, or intensity. In the first season, overcompensatory effects were observed, leading to increased plant biomass at 60% early defoliation and 40% late defoliation. Additionally, early defoliation at 20% and 60%, as well as late defoliation at 60%, led to an increase in grain number without affecting grain weight. Defoliation did not significantly alter the phenolic content, sapogenins, or antioxidant capacity of the grains, preserving their phytochemical quality. These findings enhance the understanding of quinoa’s resilience to herbivory, suggesting that it can withstand defoliation stress without compromising yield or quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Worldwide Evaluations of Quinoa and Amaranth—Biodiversity and Food Security under Climate Change Pressures Volume II)
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25 pages, 3555 KiB  
Article
Pomegranate–Quinoa-Based Agroforestry System: An Innovative Strategy to Alleviate Salinity Effects and Enhance Land Use Efficiency in Salt-Affected Semiarid Regions
by Ilham Abidi, Khalid Daoui, Aziz Abouabdillah, Didier Bazile, Abdel Aziz Hassane Sidikou, Loubna Belqadi, Hamid Mahyou and Si Bennasseur Alaoui
Plants 2024, 13(18), 2543; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13182543 - 10 Sep 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1222
Abstract
Salinity is a major problem, impeding soil productivity, agricultural sustainability, and food security, particularly in dry regions. This study integrates quinoa, a facultative halophyte, into a pomegranate-based agroforestry with saline irrigation in northeast Morocco. We aim to explore this agroforestry model’s potential in [...] Read more.
Salinity is a major problem, impeding soil productivity, agricultural sustainability, and food security, particularly in dry regions. This study integrates quinoa, a facultative halophyte, into a pomegranate-based agroforestry with saline irrigation in northeast Morocco. We aim to explore this agroforestry model’s potential in mitigating salinity’s effects on quinoa’s agronomic and biochemical traits and evaluate the land equivalent ratio (LER). Field experiments in 2020 and 2021 used a randomized block design with three replicates, including monocropping and agroforestry systems, two salinity levels (1.12 and 10.5 dS m−1), four quinoa genotypes (Titicaca, Puno, ICBA-Q4, ICBA-Q5), and a pomegranate control. Salinity significantly decreased total dry matter (40.5%), root dry matter (50.7%), leaf dry matter (39.2%), and root-to-shoot ratio (7.7%). The impact was more severe in monoculture than in agroforestry, reducing dry matter (47.6% vs. 30.7%), grain yield (46.3% vs. 26.1%), water productivity (47.5% vs. 23.9%), and total sugar (19.2% vs. 5.6%). LER averaged 1.86 to 2.21, indicating 86–121% higher productivity in agroforestry. LER averaged 1.85 at 1.12 dS m−1 and 2.18 at 10.5 dS m−1, reaching 2.21 with pomegranate-ICBA-Q5 combination. Quinoa–pomegranate agroforestry emerges as an innovative strategy, leveraging quinoa’s salt resistance and agroforestry’s potential to mitigate salinity impacts while enhancing land use efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Worldwide Evaluations of Quinoa and Amaranth—Biodiversity and Food Security under Climate Change Pressures Volume II)
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19 pages, 2179 KiB  
Article
Mitigation of Drought Stress for Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) Varieties Using Woodchip Biochar-Amended Soil
by Muhammad Zubair Akram, Anna Rita Rivelli, Angela Libutti, Fulai Liu and Christian Andreasen
Plants 2024, 13(16), 2279; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13162279 - 15 Aug 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1383
Abstract
Drought stress deteriorates agro-ecosystems and poses a significant threat to crop productivity and food security. Soil amended with biochar has been suggested to mitigate water stress, but there is limited knowledge about how biochar affects the physiology and vegetative growth of quinoa plants [...] Read more.
Drought stress deteriorates agro-ecosystems and poses a significant threat to crop productivity and food security. Soil amended with biochar has been suggested to mitigate water stress, but there is limited knowledge about how biochar affects the physiology and vegetative growth of quinoa plants under soil water deficits. We grew three quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) varieties, Titicaca (V1), Quipu (V2), and UAFQ7 (V3) in sandy loam soil without (B0) and with 2% woodchip biochar (B2) under drought conditions. The drought resulted in significant growth differences between the varieties. V3 performed vegetatively better, producing 46% more leaves, 28% more branches, and 25% more leaf area than the other two varieties. Conversely, V2 displayed significantly higher yield-contributing traits, with 16% increment in panicle length and 50% more subpanicles compared to the other varieties. Woodchip biochar application significantly enhanced the root development (i.e., root biomass, length, surface, and projected area) and plant growth (i.e., plant height, leaf area, and absolute growth rate). Biochar significantly enhanced root growth, especially fresh and dry weights, by 122% and 127%, respectively. However, biochar application may lead to a trade-off between vegetative growth and panicle development under drought stress as shown for V3 grown in soil with woodchip biochar. However, V3B2 produced longer roots and more biomass. Collectively, we suggest exploring the effects of woodchip biochar addition to the soil on the varietal physiological responses such as stomatal regulations and mechanisms behind the increased quinoa yield under water stress conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Worldwide Evaluations of Quinoa and Amaranth—Biodiversity and Food Security under Climate Change Pressures Volume II)
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Review

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23 pages, 622 KiB  
Review
Challenges and Perspectives for Integrating Quinoa into the Agri-Food System
by Irfan Afzal, Muhammad Zia Ul Haq, Shahbaz Ahmed, Abdelaziz Hirich and Didier Bazile
Plants 2023, 12(19), 3361; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12193361 - 22 Sep 2023
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3889
Abstract
Quinoa is a highly nutritious and abiotic stress-tolerant crop that can be used to ensure food security for the rapidly growing world population under changing climate conditions. Various experiments, based on morphology, phenology, physiology, and yield-related attributes, are being conducted across the globe [...] Read more.
Quinoa is a highly nutritious and abiotic stress-tolerant crop that can be used to ensure food security for the rapidly growing world population under changing climate conditions. Various experiments, based on morphology, phenology, physiology, and yield-related attributes, are being conducted across the globe to check its adoptability under stressful environmental conditions. High weed infestation, early stand establishment, photoperiod sensitivity, loss of seed viability after harvest, and heat stress during its reproductive stage are major constraints to its cultivation. The presence of saponin on its outer surface is also a significant restriction to its local consumption. Scientists are using modern breeding programs, such as participatory approaches, to understand and define breeding goals to promote quinoa adaptation under marginalized conditions. Despite its rich nutritional value, there is still a need to create awareness among people and industries about its nutritional profile and potential for revenue generation. In the future, the breeding of the sweet and larger-grain quinoa varietals will be an option for avoiding the cleaning of saponins, but with the risk of having more pests in the field. There is also a need to focus on mechanized farming systems for the cultivation, harvesting, and processing of quinoa to facilitate and expand its cultivation and consumption across the globe, considering its high genetic diversity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Worldwide Evaluations of Quinoa and Amaranth—Biodiversity and Food Security under Climate Change Pressures Volume II)
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