DEVELOPMENTAL STABILITY OF QUINOA UNDER EUROPEAN CONDITIONS

Five quinoa lines, from different maturity groups, were investigated f or their adaptability to European conditions. Results from experiments conducted over three growing seasons indicate that seed types origina ting from Chile are adapted for growth under northern European conditi ons. Ranking of the lines for earliness was probably determined by the beginning of July and was consistent over years, indicating that sele ction for this character could take place at an early stage in plant d evelopment. Discussion of the plant breeding implications of these and other results suggested that a model genotype for seed production for northern European agriculture would be early, uniformly maturing, non -branching and short, with a high seed yield and a low saponin content . (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.