3 SOWING DISTANCES ON THE PRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE AND QUALITY OF CHENOPODIUM-QUINOA

The performance of Chenopodium quinoa Willd. cv. VH-1 from Viet Nam wa s studied in a typical red ferrallitic soil-submitted to two sowing me thods: in rows 35 and 75 cm apart and using broadcast sowing under a r andom block design with 4 replicates. Plant height did not differ sign ificantly between the 35 cm distance and the broadcast method with val ues of 98.4 and 103.3 cm, respectively. Treatments did not affect DM c ontent and yield components. Sowing at 70 cm between rows produced the highest total DM (5.9 t/ha) and leaf yield (3.2 t DM/ha). The greates t leaf percentage (53.6%) was also attained at that distance. The OM o f the dry matter was not affected by the treatments (83-89%). Both the digestibility and the N free extract (NFE) were lower in the stems. T he leaves had the highest CP content (more than 32%) and the lowest CF (10-13%). The whole plant had the highest Ca and P contents. The Mg an d ash contents were higher in leaves, with no effect due to treatment. It is concluded that the sowing distance of 70 cm between rows is the most adequate for forage production of Ch quinoa.